Customs Union. Eurasian Economic Union. Reference

The Customs Union is an agreement adopted by the participants of the Eurasian Economic Union, the purpose of which is abolition of customs duties in trade relations. Based on these agreements, common ways of carrying out economic activities and a platform for quality assessments and certification are created.

Thanks to this it is achieved abolition of customs controls at the borders within the Union, general provisions for regulating economic activity for the external borders of the CU are concluded. In view of this, a common customs space is being created, using a generally accepted approach to border control. Another distinctive feature is the equality of rights of citizens of the customs area during employment.

In 2018, the Customs Union consists of next members of the EAEU:

• Republic of Armenia (since 2015);
• Republic of Belarus (since 2010);
• Republic of Kazakhstan (since 2010);
• Kyrgyz Republic (since 2015);
• Russian Federation (since 2010).

The desire to become a party to this agreement was voiced by Syria and Tunisia. In addition, we know about the proposal to include Turkey in the CU agreement. However, to date, no specific procedures have been adopted for these states to join the Union.

It is clearly visible that the functioning of the Customs Union serves as a good help for strengthening economic relations between countries located on the territory of the former Soviet countries. We can also say that the approach established in the agreement by the participating countries speaks of restoring lost connections in modern conditions.

Customs duties are distributed through a single sharing mechanism.

Given this information, it can be stated that the Customs Union, as we know it today, serves serious tool for the economic unification of countries that are members of the EAEU.

Stages of formation

To understand what the activities of the Customs Union are, it will not be amiss to gain an understanding of how it was formed to its current state.

The emergence of the Customs Union was initially presented as one of the steps in the integration of the CIS countries. This was evidenced in the agreement on the creation of an economic union, signed on September 24, 1993.

Step by step moving towards this goal, in 1995, two states (Russia and Belarus) entered into an agreement between themselves on the approval of the Customs Union. Later, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan also joined this group.

More than 10 years later, in 2007, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia signed a pact to unite their territories into a single customs region and approve the Customs Union.

In order to specify the previously concluded agreements, from 2009 to 2010, more than 40 additional agreements were concluded. Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan have decided that, starting in 2012, a Common Market thanks to the unification of countries into a single economic space.

On July 1, 2010, another important agreement was concluded, which set into motion the work of the Unified Customs Tariff and the Customs Code.

On July 1, 2011, the current customs controls at the borders between countries were canceled and general rules were established at the borders with states that are not in the agreement. Until 2013, uniform legislative norms for the parties to the agreement will be formed.

2014 – The Republic of Armenia joins the Customs Union. 2015 – The Republic of Kyrgyzstan joins the Customs Union.

Territory and management

The unification of the borders of the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus and the Republic of Kazakhstan became the basis for the emergence of the Single Customs Space. This is how the territory of the Customs Union was formed. In addition, it includes certain territories or objects under the jurisdiction of the parties to the agreement.

The management and coordination of the Eurasian Economic Union is carried out by two organs:

1. Interstate Council- the highest body of a supranational nature, consists of heads of state and head of government of the Customs Union.
2. Customs Union Commission– an agency that deals with issues related to the formation of customs rules and regulates foreign trade policy.

Directions and conditions

When creating the Customs Union, countries declared the main goal socio-economic progress. In the future, this implies an increase in trade turnover and services produced by business entities.

The increase in sales was initially expected directly in the space of the vehicle itself due to following conditions:

1. The abolition of customs procedures within the Union, which was supposed to make products produced within a single space more attractive through the abolition of duties.
2. Increasing trade turnover by eliminating customs controls at internal borders.
3. Adoption of uniform requirements and integration of safety standards.

Achieving goals and perspectives

Having collected available information about the emergence and activities of the Customs Union, we can come to the conclusion that the results of increasing the turnover of goods and services are published much less frequently than news about the signing of new agreements, i.e. its declarative part.

But, nevertheless, analyzing the stated goals when creating the Customs Union, as well as observing their implementation, one cannot remain silent that simplification of trade turnover has been achieved and competitive conditions have been improved for economic entities of the Customs Union states.

It follows from this that the Customs Union is on the way to achieving its goals, however, in addition to time, this requires the mutual interest of both the states themselves and the economic elements within the Union.

Activity analysis

The customs union consists of countries that have the same economic background, but today these states are very different from each other. Of course, even in Soviet times, the republics differed in their specialization, but after gaining independence, many more changes occurred that affected the world market and the division of labor.

However, there are also common interests. For example, many participating countries remain dependent on the Russian sales market. This trend is economic and geopolitical in nature.

Throughout the whole time leading positions in the process of integration and stabilization of the EAEU and the Customs Union played Russian Federation. This was possible due to its stable economic growth until 2014, when prices for raw materials remained high, which helped finance the processes launched by the agreements.

Although such a policy did not predict rapid economic growth, it still assumed the strengthening of Russia's position on the world stage.

To achieve these goals, the Republic increased tariffs on imported cars in the absence of its own production. Because of such measures it was necessary to install rules for certification of light industry goods, which hurt retail trade.

In addition, the standards adopted at the CU level were unified with the WTO model, despite the fact that Belarus is not a member of this organization, unlike Russia. Enterprises of the Republic have not received access to Russian import substitution programs.

All this served as obstacles for Belarus on the path to achieving its goals in full.

It should not be overlooked that the signed CU agreements contain various exceptions, clarifications, anti-dumping and countervailing measures, which have become an obstacle to the achievement of common benefits and equal conditions for all countries. At various times, virtually every participant in the agreement expressed disagreement with the terms contained in the agreements.

Although customs posts on the borders between the parties to the agreement were eliminated, border zones between countries have been preserved. Sanitary control at internal borders also continued. A lack of trust in interaction practice has been revealed. An example of this is the disagreements that flare up from time to time between Russia and Belarus.

Today it is impossible to say that the goals that were declared in the agreement on the creation of the Customs Union have been achieved. This is evident from the decrease in the turnover of goods within the customs area. There are also no economic development benefits when compared with the time before the agreements were signed.

But there are still signs that in the absence of an agreement the situation would deteriorate more rapidly. The manifestation of the crisis would be broader and deeper. A significant number of enterprises gain relative benefits by participating in trade relations within the Customs Union.

The agreements signed by the parties benefited the production of automobiles. Duty-free sales of cars assembled by manufacturers in participating countries have become available. Thus, conditions have been created for the implementation of projects that previously could not succeed.

What is the Customs Union? Details are in the video.

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In the modern world, many countries unite into unions - political, economic, religious and others. One of the largest such unions was the Soviet Union. Now we see the emergence of the European, Eurasian, and also Customs unions.

The Customs Union was positioned as a form of trade and economic integration of a number of countries, which provides not only a common customs territory for mutually beneficial trade with the absence of duties, etc., but also a number of issues regulating trade with third countries. This agreement was signed on October 6, 2007 in Dushanbe; at the time of its conclusion, the union included the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan and Belarus.

The first article of the contract on the movement of goods within this territory states the following:

• There is no customs duty. And not only for goods of own production, but also for cargo from third countries.
• There are no economic restrictions other than compensatory and anti-dumping ones.
• The countries of the Customs Union apply a single customs tariff.

Current countries and candidates

There are both permanent member countries of the Customs Union that were its founders or joined later, and those that have only expressed a desire to join.

Participants:

• Armenia;
• Kazakhstan;
• Kyrgyzstan;
• Russia;
• Belarus.

Candidates for membership:

• Tunisia;
• Syria;
• Tajikistan.

TS managers

There was a special CU commission, which was approved at the time of signing the agreement on the Customs Union. Its rules were the basis of the legal activities of the organization. The structure worked and remained within these legal frameworks until July 1, 2012, that is, until the creation of the EEC. The highest body of the union at that time was a group of representatives of the heads of state (Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (Russian Federation), Nursultan Abishevich Nazarbayev (Republic of Kazakhstan) and (Republic of Belarus)).

The following prime ministers were represented at the level of heads of government:

• Russia - Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev;
• Kazakhstan - Karim Kazhimkanovich Masimov;
• Belarus - Sergei Sergeevich Sidorsky.

Purpose of the Customs Union

The countries of the Customs Union, with the main goal of creating a single regulatory body, meant the formation of a common territory, which would include several states, and all duties on products would be abolished on their territory.

The second goal was to protect one’s own interests and markets, first of all, from harmful, poor-quality, and also competitive products, which makes it possible to smooth out all the shortcomings in the trade and economic sphere. This is very important, since protecting the interests of one’s own states, taking into account the opinions of the members of the union, is a priority for any country.

Benefits and prospects

First of all, the benefits are obvious for those enterprises that can easily purchase from neighboring countries. Most likely, these will only be large corporations and companies. As for future prospects, contrary to some economists’ forecasts that the Customs Union will entail a decrease in wages in participating countries, at the official level the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan announced an increase in wages in the state in 2015.

That is why the world experience of such large economic entities cannot be attributed to this case. Countries that have joined the Customs Union can expect, if not rapid, but stable growth in economic ties.

Agreement

The final version of the Agreement on the Customs Code of the Customs Union was adopted only at the tenth meeting, 10.26.2009. This pact spoke of the creation of special groups that would monitor activities to bring the revised draft treaty into effect.

The countries of the Customs Union had until July 1, 2010 to make changes to their legislation to eliminate contradictions between this Code and the Constitution. Thus, another contact group was created to resolve problems arising from differences between national legal systems.

All the nuances related to the territories of the Customs Union were also finalized.

Territory of the Customs Union

The countries of the Customs Union have a common customs territory, which is determined by the borders of the states that have entered into an agreement and are members of the organization. The Customs Code, among other things, determines the expiration date of the commission, which was July 1, 2012. Thus, a more serious organization was created, which has much more powers and, accordingly, more people on its staff in order to fully control all processes. On January 1, 2012, the Eurasian Economic Commission (EAEC) officially began its work.

EAEU

The Eurasian Economic Union includes member countries of the Customs Union: the founders - Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan - and the recently joined states, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia.

The establishment of the EAEU implies a wider range of relationships in the freedom of movement of labor, capital, services and goods. Also, a coordinated economic policy of all countries must be constantly pursued, a transition must be made to a single

The total budget of this union is formed exclusively in Russian rubles, thanks to the share contributions made by all member countries of the Customs Union. Their size is regulated by the Supreme Council, which consists of the heads of these states.

Russian has become the working language for the regulations of all documents, and the headquarters will be located in Moscow. The financial regulator of the EAEU is in Almaty, and the court is in the capital of Belarus, Minsk.

Bodies of the Union

The highest regulatory body is the Supreme Council, which includes the heads of participating states.

A judicial body was also created, which is responsible for the application of treaties within the Union.

The Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) is a regulatory body that provides all the conditions for the development and functioning of the Union, as well as the development of new proposals in the economic sphere regarding the format of the EAEU. It consists of the Ministers of the Commission (deputy prime ministers of the Union member states) and the Chairman.

Main provisions of the Treaty on the EAEU

Of course, the EAEU, compared to the CU, has not only broader powers, but also a much more extensive and specific list of planned work. This document no longer has any general plans, and for each specific task the path for its implementation is determined and a special working group is created that will not only monitor the implementation, but also control its entire progress.

In the received agreement the countries of the single Customs Union, and now the EAEU, secured an agreement on coordinated work and the creation of common energy markets. The work on energy policy is quite large-scale and will be implemented in several stages until 2025.

The document also regulates the creation of a common market for medical devices and medicines by January 1, 2016.

Great importance is attached to transport policy on the territory of the EAEU states, without which it will not be possible to create a single joint action plan. The development of a coordinated agro-industrial policy is envisaged, which includes the mandatory formation of veterinary and phytosanitary measures.

Coordinated provides the opportunity to translate all planned plans and agreements into reality. In such conditions, general principles of interaction are developed and the effective development of countries is ensured.

A special place is occupied by labor, which regulates not only the free movement of labor, but also the same working conditions. Citizens who go to work in the EAEU countries will no longer need to fill out migration cards (if their stay does not exceed 30 days). The same simplified system will apply to medical care. The issue of exporting pensions and counting the length of service accumulated in a Union member country is also being resolved.

Expert opinions

The list of countries of the Customs Union may be replenished with several more states in the near future, but, according to experts, in order for full growth and influence on Western similar type unions to be noticeable, a lot of work and expansion of the organization is necessary. In any case, the ruble will not be able to become an alternative to the euro or dollar for a long time, and the impact of recent sanctions has clearly shown how Western policy can work to serve its own interests, and that neither Russia itself nor the entire Union can actually do anything about it . As for Kazakhstan and Belarus specifically, the conflict in Ukraine showed that they will not give up their benefits to please Russia. The tenge, by the way, also fell sharply due to the fall of the ruble. And on many issues, Russia remains the main competitor of Kazakhstan and Belarus. However, at the moment, the creation of the Union is an adequate and only correct decision that can help at least somehow strengthen relations between states in the event of further Western pressure on Russia.

It is now known which countries in the Customs Union are more interested in its creation. Despite the fact that even at the stage of its inception it was constantly plagued by all sorts of problems, the joint coordinated actions of all members of the Union make it possible to solve them as quickly as possible, which makes it possible to look into the future with optimism and hope for the rapid development of the economies of all states participating in this treaty.

The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is an international integration economic association (union), the agreement on the creation of which was signed on May 29, 2014 and comes into force on January 1, 2015. The union included Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. The EAEU was created on the basis of the Customs Union of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) to strengthen the economies of the participating countries and “bring closer to each other”, to modernize and increase the competitiveness of the participating countries in the world market. The EAEU member states plan to continue economic integration in the coming years.

History of the creation of the Eurasian Economic Union

In 1995, the presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia and later joining states - Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan signed the first agreements on the creation of the Customs Union. Based on these agreements, the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) was created in 2000.

On October 6, 2007, in Dushanbe (Tajikistan), Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia signed an agreement on the creation of a single customs territory and the Customs Union Commission as a single permanent governing body of the Customs Union.

The Eurasian Customs Union or the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia was born on January 1, 2010. The customs union was launched as the first step towards the formation of a broader European Union-type economic union of former Soviet republics.

The creation of the Eurasian Customs Union was guaranteed by 3 different treaties signed in 1995, 1999 and 2007. The first agreement in 1995 guaranteed its creation, the second in 1999 guaranteed its formation, and the third in 2007 announced the creation of a single customs territory and the formation of a customs union.

Access of products to the territory of the Customs Union was granted after checking these products for compliance with the requirements of the technical regulations of the Customs Union that are applicable to these products. As of December 2012, 31 Technical Regulations of the Customs Union have been developed, which cover various types of products, some of which have already entered into force, and some of which will enter into force before 2015. Some technical regulations will still be developed.

Before the Technical Regulations came into force, the basis for access to the market of the member countries of the Customs Union were the following rules:

1. National certificate - for product access to the market of the country where this certificate was issued.

2. Certificate of the Customs Union - a certificate issued in accordance with the “List of products subject to mandatory assessment (confirmation) of conformity within the Customs Union” - such a certificate is valid in all three member countries of the Customs Union.

Since November 19, 2011, member states have implemented the work of a joint commission (Eurasian Economic Commission) to strengthen closer economic ties to create the Eurasian Economic Union by 2015.

On January 1, 2012, the three states formed the Common Economic Space to promote further economic integration. All three countries have ratified a basic package of 17 agreements governing the launch of the Common Economic Space (CES).

On May 29, 2014, an agreement on the creation of the Eurasian Economic Union was signed in Astana (Kazakhstan).

On January 1, 2015, the EAEU began to function as part of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. On January 2, 2015, Armenia became a member of the EAEU. Kyrgyzstan has announced its intention to participate in the EAEU.

Economy of the Eurasian Economic Union

The macroeconomic effect from the integration of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan into the EAEU is created due to:

Reduced prices for goods due to reduced costs of transporting raw materials or exporting finished products.

Stimulating “healthy” competition in the common market of the EAEU through an equal level of economic development.

Increasing competition in the common market of the member countries of the Customs Union, thanks to the entry of new countries into the market.

Increase in average wages due to reduced costs and increased labor productivity.

Increasing production due to increased demand for goods.

Increasing the well-being of the people of the EAEU countries, thanks to lower food prices and increased employment.

Increasing the return on investment of new technologies and products due to increased market volume.

At the same time, the signed version of the agreement on the creation of the EAEU was of a compromise nature, and therefore a number of planned measures were not implemented in full. In particular, the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) and the Eurasian Economic Court did not receive broad powers to monitor compliance with the agreements. If the EEC resolutions are not implemented, the controversial issue is considered by the Eurasian Economic Court, whose decisions are only advisory in nature, and the issue is finally resolved at the level of the Council of Heads of State. In addition, pressing issues on the creation of a unified financial regulator, on energy trade policy, as well as on the problem of the existence of exemptions and restrictions on trade between EAEU members were postponed until 2025 or indefinitely.

Characteristics of the EAEU countries (as of 2014)

Source - CIA World Factbook

Governing bodies of the Eurasian Economic Union

The governing bodies of the EAEU are the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council and the Eurasian Economic Commission.

The Supreme Eurasian Economic Council is the highest supranational body of the EAEU. The council includes heads of state and government. The Supreme Council meets at the level of heads of state at least once a year, at the level of heads of government - at least twice a year. Decisions are made by consensus. The decisions taken become binding in all participating states. The Council determines the composition and powers of other regulatory structures.

The Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) is one permanent regulatory body (supranational governing body) in the EAEU. The main task of the EEC is to provide conditions for the development and functioning of the EAEU, as well as the development of economic integration initiatives within the EAEU.

The powers of the Eurasian Economic Commission are defined in Article 3 of the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Commission of November 18, 2010. All rights and functions of the previously existing Customs Union Commission were delegated to the Eurasian Economic Commission.

Within the competence of the Commission:

• customs tariffs and non-tariff regulation;
• customs administration;
• technical regulation;
• sanitary, veterinary and phytosanitary measures;
• crediting and distribution of import customs duties;
• establishment of trade regimes with third countries;
• statistics of foreign and domestic trade;
• macroeconomic policy;
• competition policy;
• industrial and agricultural subsidies;
• energy policy;
• natural monopolies;
• state and municipal procurement;
• domestic trade in services and investment;
• transport and transportation;
• monetary policy;
• intellectual property and copyright;
• migration policy;
• financial markets (banking, insurance, foreign exchange and stock markets);
• and some other areas.

The Commission ensures the implementation of international treaties that form the legal basis of the Eurasian Economic Union.

The Commission is also the depository of international treaties that formed the legal basis of the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space, and now the EAEU, as well as decisions of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council.

Within its competence, the Commission adopts non-binding documents, such as recommendations, and can also make decisions that are binding in the EAEU member countries.

The Commission's budget is made up of contributions from member states and approved by the heads of EAEU member states.

Possible new members of the Eurasian Economic Union

The main contenders for joining the EAEU are Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. In July 2014, news appeared that Armenia would sign an agreement to join the Eurasian Economic Union before September 10, 2014. There is information that negotiations between Armenia and the founding countries of the EAEU and the Eurasian Economic Commission have been completed. The agreement on Armenia’s accession to the EAEU is in the hands of the governments of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus, where it is going through the necessary bureaucratic stages, and after the governments’ decision, the question of where the presidents of Armenia and the EAEU countries will meet to sign the agreement will be raised.

It is also reported that Kyrgyzstan may soon join the EAEU member countries. However, no specific deadlines have been set for this country’s entry into the EAEU (previously the date was announced - until the end of 2014). In addition, the population of the country, apparently, is not particularly keen to join the EAEU. This conclusion can be made based on civic activity during the collection of signatures for a petition in support of Kyrgyzstan’s accession to the Customs Union and the EAEU. To date, only 38 people have signed the appeal.

Russians are also suspicious of Kyrgyzstan's possible accession to the Eurasian Economic Union. This is evidenced by the results of a survey conducted by the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM). According to researchers, only 20% of respondents were in favor of Kyrgyzstan joining the union, and Moldova had the same number of votes. The most desirable country that Russians would like to see as an ally turned out to be Armenia. 45% of respondents voted for it.

Every fifth person expects Azerbaijan and Moldova to join the EAEU (23% and 20%, respectively). Only 17% of survey participants are in favor of Uzbekistan joining the EAEU, and 14% of Tajikistan and Georgia each. Respondents were least likely to speak out in favor of attracting Ukraine to the Eurasian Economic Union - 10%. And 13% of respondents believe that the EAEU should not be expanded yet.

Public opinion poll in the CIS regarding integration

Since 2012, the Eurasian Development Bank (established in Russia and Kazakhstan) has been conducting regular surveys of the opinions of residents of individual states regarding Eurasian integration projects. The following question was asked to residents of individual countries: “Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia united in the Customs Union, which freed trade between the three countries from duties, and created a Single Economic Space (essentially a single market of the three countries). How do you feel about this decision?

The results of the total “profitable” and “very profitable” answers are given below:

As you can see, the idea of ​​​​creating a Customs Union and the Eurasian Economic Union is generally approved and looks “profitable” in the eyes of the majority of the population in almost everyone, with the exception of Azerbaijan, the CIS countries and even Georgia.

Meanwhile, the United States in its foreign policy opposes the Customs Union and the EAEU, arguing that this is an attempt to restore Russian dominance in the post-Soviet space and create a union like the USSR.

The Customs Union was an interstate agreement in the form of collective protectionism of different countries, providing for a single customs territory. This is a community where participating states have agreed to create common interstate bodies that coordinate and harmonize foreign trade policies. Meetings of ministers of relevant departments are held periodically, whose work is entirely based on the permanently functioning interstate secretariat. A customs union is a form of integration between countries and the creation of supranational bodies. And this was another step towards integration into a more advanced form from the already existing free trade area. In 2015, a new organization began its work on the basis of the Customs Union - the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

Examples

In the nineteenth century, the German Customs Union was created, where the German states agreed to abolish customs barriers between their countries, and duties went into a common treasury, where they were distributed among the participating countries according to the number of inhabitants. Probably, the German Customs Union is the first dress rehearsal for the creation of the European Customs Union, which is functioning now. The Eurasian Economic Union also joined forces on the problem of integration of the community’s territories. This is a merger of interstate forms of trade and economics between Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. Basically, it is this union that will be discussed in this article. In addition to those listed, there were at different times customs unions: South African, East African (as a community), Mercosur, Andean Community and some others.

In October 2006, in Dushanbe (Tajikistan), an agreement on trade integration between Kazakhstan, Belarus and Russia was signed and technical regulations for the Customs Union were developed. The purpose of such an organization was to create a single customs territory consisting of several states. The rules of the Customs Union abolished duties on products sold. At the same time, this step made it possible to protect our own markets from excess imports and smoothed out all the unevenness in the trade and economic sphere. Within the participating countries, uniform requirements of the Customs Union and a common customs tariff for all have been created. The same regulation regulated trade relations with other countries not included in the Customs Union. It was necessary.

Story

The same 2007 agreement approved not only the technical regulations of the Customs Union, but also the Commission, its single regulatory body. In 2012, the regulation was completed, and it was replaced by an even more powerful organization, which had an order of magnitude more powers, and its staffing was also significantly increased. This is the EEC - the Eurasian Economic Commission. The Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation formed an entity based on the Eurasian Economic Community. A unified structure of technical regulation was simply necessary. It was the Commission that developed a unified register of the Customs Union and approved its rules. It also has the prerogative of developing technical regulations.

The Unified Register concerns vehicle certification bodies and its testing laboratories. This is a list of entities that issue certificates guaranteeing the safety of this product. There is no need to confirm such a document anywhere on the territory of the Customs Union countries. The CU Commission is the coordinator of all actions and all efforts of the participating countries on technical regulation, under whose control is all the activities of the Customs Union. National technical regulations have ceased to be in force since the creation of the Commission and its development of unified CU regulations. The participants of the Customs Union agreed that a single customs territory, where customs duties are not applied and there are no economic restrictions, may have exceptions - these are special protective, anti-dumping and countervailing measures.

Structure

Throughout the territory of the participating states, uniform regulatory measures are applied: customs tariffs within the Customs Union and rules of trade with other countries. Compliance with the rules is monitored by the Interstate Council, which is the highest body of the CU and which includes heads of government and heads of state of all CU countries. In 2007, these were Russian President D. Medvedev and Russian Prime Minister V. Putin, President of the Republic of Belarus A. Lukashenko and Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus S. Sidorsky, President of Kazakhstan N. Nazarbayev and Prime Minister K. Masimov. Since 2008, the Interstate Council of the EurAsEC (ISEC) has become the highest body of the CU, at the level of only the heads of state of the participating countries.

The conditions for the work and development of the CU were ensured by a single regulatory body - the CU Commission, whose decisions are binding and do not require any confirmation at the national level. The states of the Customs Union divided their influence on resolving all issues raised in this way: Russia has fifty-seven votes in the Commission, and Kazakhstan and Belarus have twenty-one votes each. All decisions are made if two-thirds of the vote is collected. In 2009, S. Glazyev was approved as the executive secretary of the CU Commission. If disputes arise between the participating countries, they are resolved by a special court of the EurAsEC, where it is possible to achieve changes in the actions of the CU bodies and the state authorities of the association.

Activities of the Customs Union

In 2009, the highest body of the Customs Union, the Commission, together with the governments of the parties, carried out a set of measures to complete the formation of the contractual and legal framework of the Customs Union. This included the Unified Customs Tariff, the Customs Code, and the statute of the CU court. In November 2009, a decision was made regarding a single customs tariff among the countries that included the Customs Union. Customs duties on trade between these countries have been regulated since the CCT - Common Customs Tariff - came into force. In 2010, a summit was held where a statement was signed on the effectiveness of the Customs Code, which began to work in July 2010. A number of provisions of the Unified Customs Code have no legal analogy in the legislation of the CU member states.

For example, there is no concept of a Unified Customs Territory, and conditions regarding customs transit are not specified. Also, the CU Code abolished customs clearance and customs border control of all goods that originate from the territories of the CU member countries; in addition, this also applies to goods from other countries that are in free circulation on the territory of the CU. The Code provides for the requirements of the Customs Union - reciprocity in the recognition of measures to ensure payment of payments in all territories of the Customs Union. The institution of an economic operator was introduced - a person who has the right to use various simplifications that can be implemented during customs procedures.

Trade

In September 2010, the Customs Union introduced a regime on its territories that credits and distributes customs duties. Tripartite agreements agreed that imports are credited to a certain single account, in order to then be proportionally distributed between the budgets of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia. For example, the Russian budget is supposed to receive 87.97% of the total volume of import duties, the Belarusian budget is 4.7%, and the Kazakh budget is 7.33%. In 2011, customs authorities ceased control at all internal borders of the Customs Union.

The CU action plan was approved by the three participating states, and in accordance with the plan, the Russian customs authorities stopped any operations regarding vehicles and goods that are traveling to our territory. Previously, control was carried out at all checkpoints on the state border of the Russian Federation. And the Russian-Belarusian border at the PPU (notification acceptance point) has stopped all transit control operations from third countries.

Control

The Customs Union Security Regulations of 2010 provided for the introduction of a transition period on the border of Russia and Kazakhstan, when border points will still function, carrying out control - both border and migration, and goods and vehicles that move through the territory of the Customs Union will still be carried out by joint customs services of the participating countries. The special services of the three countries must exchange all information regarding each consignment of goods that is processed on their territory. In 2010, the authorities were already planning to create a single economic space in all territories, since this was the surest step towards creating a common market.

The Customs Union is gradually expanding, and all participating countries continue to apply, in addition to common customs tariffs, many other measures, including regulation of trade with third countries. States that joined the CU: Kazakhstan and Russia - from July 1, 2010, the Republic of Belarus - five days later, Armenia - January 2, 2015, Kyrgyzstan - August 12, 2015. There were also candidates - Syria would have already joined the CU if it had not been for the war that broke out on its territory (however, perhaps one of the reasons for its outbreak was precisely this intention), and in January 2015 Tunisia announced its intention to join the CU.

Some general information

The export of goods was accompanied by a zero VAT rate or exemption from excise taxes (reimbursement of the amount already paid), if the fact of export was documented. Imports of goods into Russia from two other CU member countries were subject to VAT and excise taxes. If services were provided or work was carried out on the territory of Russia, then the tax base, rates, tax benefits and collection procedures were determined in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.

After 2015, international obligations within the CU and the Common Economic Space established the following import customs duties: the budget of the Russian Federation receives 85.33%, the budget of Belarus - 4.55%, Kazakhstan - 7.11%, Armenia - 1.11% and Kyrgyzstan - 1.9%. Labor migrants - citizens of CU member countries - no longer have to buy a patent to get a job in the Russian Federation, since they have the same right to work as Russian citizens.

Meaning

Back in 2011, as the executive secretary of the Customs Union Commission, Sergei Glazyev cited the undeniable benefits of creating the Customs Union - both in economic and geopolitical aspects. After the degradation and collapse of the Soviet Union, after decades of economic impoverishment and all sorts of hardships, the former Soviet republics began to integrate, and this is a geopolitical achievement of enormous significance, the only one capable of providing concrete benefits to the economy of each state.

In 2012, an integration study was conducted by the Eurasian Development Bank. The sociological survey took place in ten CIS countries and additionally in Georgia, where up to two thousand respondents took part in each country. There was only one question: the attitude towards the creation of the Customs Union, which exempted trade within three countries (Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan) from duties. Kazakhs welcomed the Customs Union in 80% of cases, Tajiks - 76%, in Russia 72% of respondents had a positive attitude, in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan - 67%, in Moldova - 65%, in Armenia - 61%, in the Republic of Belarus - 60%, Azerbaijan - 38%, and in Georgia - 30%.

Problems

Criticism of the TS has always existed. Most often, it boiled down to the topic of insufficient elaboration of the conditions for certification of goods and trade; they also talked about the imposition by the Russian Federation of WTO conditions on participating countries, although they did not join this organization. Some experts complained about the unfairness of the distribution of income between participants. However, none of them were able to prove with their research that the Customs Union is a project that is not very profitable for both the participants and its potential members. On the contrary, a huge number of meticulously conducted studies consistently and on all points prove that the EAEU is clearly beneficial to all its members for both economic and ideological reasons.

Some experts note that the ideological component outweighs the economic one, since this union is an artificial formation, and therefore cannot be viable and so far exists only because it is ideologically beneficial for Russia, and it sponsors the participants. However, accusations of unfair income sharing and the topic of sponsorship go very poorly together. It's either this or that. Judging by economic calculations, membership in the EAEU is beneficial for Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Armenia.

Today

Today, the Eurasian Economic Union is no less active than in any of the past moments of the CU’s existence. By decisions of the Commission, new programs for the development of relations between the participating countries are discussed. For example, an advisory committee dealing with oil and gas has been created and is working, which forms a common gas market within the borders of the EAEU. And this is perhaps the most important priority of integration cooperation, which includes a whole range of various activities - technological, organizational, legal (there are more than thirty activities in total). In 2016, the heads of state of Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Armenia already approved the concept of work to form a common gas market. It remains to work out an international agreement with uniform rules for access to gas transport systems located on the territories of these states.

The common market for road transport services is developing, the competitiveness of international transport is increasing, and customs regulation and insurance have been significantly improved. Despite the fact that foreign economic relations between the participating countries are ensured by all existing modes of transport, the share of road transport in it is more than 82 percent of the total volume of cargo transportation, and passenger traffic is 94 percent. And these percentages are still growing. A common market for air transport services is also being formed, and this topic was discussed in detail by an advisory committee in Minsk at the end of April 2017. A draft so-called road map is being prepared, which is the implementation of the main directions of transport policy.

The Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) is an international economic organization endowed with functions related to the formation of common external customs borders of its member countries, the development of a common foreign economic policy, tariffs, prices and other components of the functioning of the common market. Since its formation, five states have been members of the EurAsEC: Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan.

In accordance with the statutory goals and objectives of the EurAsEC and guided by the principle of multi-speed integration, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia created the Customs Union in 2007-2010 and are systematically forming the next integration stage - the Common Economic Space (SES) of the EurAsEC, to which other states of the Community will join according to as far as readiness.

A customs union is a form of trade and economic integration of the parties, providing for a single customs territory, within which customs duties and restrictions of an economic nature are not applied for mutual trade in goods originating from third countries and released for free circulation in this customs territory, with the exception of special protective , anti-dumping and countervailing measures.

In the Customs Union, the parties apply a single customs tariff and other measures to regulate trade with third countries.

The Chairman of the Board and members of the Board are appointed for a period of four years by decision of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council at the level of heads of state, with possible extension of powers. The board makes decisions by voting. Each member of the Board has one vote.

The activities of the EEC are structured according to functional areas, which are supervised by members of the Board (ministers). Each direction represents a block of industries and areas of economic activity. Members of the Board and departments of the EEC interact with authorized national authorities within the framework of their activities.

Currently, there are 23 departments operating within the EEC structure. 17 Advisory Committees have been created under them to develop proposals for the EEC Board and conduct consultations with representatives of national government bodies. The chairmen of the committees are members of the Board (ministers) according to their areas of activity.

One of the main principles of the EEC’s activities is maintaining a comprehensive dialogue with key partners. The first level of dialogue is interstate, which involves building effective interaction with national authorities in the process of developing and making decisions. The second level of dialogue is a direct form of work with the business community.

The EEC takes an active position in the international arena in order to represent the activities of the Eurasian community and involve key partners from the European and Asia-Pacific regions in integration processes.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources