Date
Author
Михаил ТЕЛЕХОВ; Санкт-Петербург
Source
Preserved copy
Translated material
Union and cartoon
Russia intends to create a single economic space with Belarus and Kazakhstan
The formation of the contractual framework of the Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus, which will become an operating body from January 1, 2010, has been fully completed. Vladimir Putin announced this to journalists at a meeting of the EurAsEC Interstate Council, which took place on Friday in St. Petersburg, at the Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library. The Prime Minister also explained that integration will not be limited to the customs union: this is the last stage before the formation of a single economic space (SES) - an interstate association with open internal borders and a common external contour. Russia actively, but unsuccessfully promoted the idea of the SES in the early 2000s and has now decided to revive it.Thus, as it turned out, the purely political form of integration of the post-Soviet space, better known as the CIS, is losing ground to the EurAsEC, which has been in the shadow until now, under whose auspices the customs union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan was created. Moreover, the first agreement on the customs union between Russia and Belarus was signed on January 20, 1995, and the Eurasian Economic Community was formed on October 10, 2000 . But since then, the formation of a customs union with the accession of Kazakhstan and the creation of “model” laws took place within the framework of the EurAsEC.
The Russian Prime Minister spoke softly but unequivocally about the fate of the CIS: “After the collapse of the USSR, there were attempts at integration. For example, the CIS. A significant part of the time they (attempts - Ed. ) was devoted to declarations. But they were useful. The EurAsEC and the customs union are specific, practical and real unification. True integration - in the economic sphere. Ahead are agreements on a common economic policy, trade policy, on currency regulation, on support for specific sectors of the economy, on a single customs contour and the elimination of internal borders."
Until now, the work of the EurAsEC seemed predominantly declarative. In 2006, Uzbekistan suspended its participation in the EurAsEC , leaving Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. But soon everything changed. October 2007 - agreements at the level of heads of state. November 2008 - agreement at the level of heads of government. In 2009, Georgia left the CIS, and EurAsEC members marched through a series of stages to form a customs union. Finally, at the end of November this year in Minsk, Dmitry Medvedev, Alexander Lukashenko and Nursultan Nazarbayev finally agreed that from January 1, 2010, the customs union will begin to operate. And last Friday, the heads of government of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan gathered in St. Petersburg and signed the last 19 final documents necessary for the normal functioning of the union and its further transformation into a single economic space by 2012.
The meaning of the customs union was demonstrated to journalists clearly - in the form of a computer cartoon. A train with certain components leaves the plant in Chelyabinsk and calmly, without stopping, goes to Minsk, where they are used to assemble certain products that are in great demand in Kazakhstan. Therefore, the train from Belarus reaches Astana just as easily.
But in real, not cartoon life, goods will cross the borders of three states without inspection after July 1, 2010, when the unified customs code comes into force. And from January 1, the customs union management system will be operational. The strategic body is the Interstate Council at the level of heads of government. The operational body for managing the customs union is a commission, which will include deputy heads of government - members of the Customs Union. The executive authorities of states will have to obey its decisions. Decisions are made by two-thirds of the votes, with Russia's share of votes in the commission amounting to 57%, Kazakhstan and Belarus - 21.5% each. That is, only Russia can single-handedly block any decision within the customs union.
From January 1, 2010, a single customs tariff will come into effect. Rates for 11 thousand items of goods have now been unified. During 2010, the customs code should come into force. A year later, in 2011, the heads of government committed to forming a unified trade regime. And after analyzing agreements with third countries, in 2012, announce the creation of the Common Economic Space, with open borders for goods, labor, and a common energy and currency policy.
As Deputy Minister of Economic Development Andrei Slepnev explained to a Vremya Novostei correspondent, other EurAsEC participants are being invited to join the customs union: “We are ready to include those who want to even at the formation stage. But so far there are no applications.” Although in words everyone is in favor.
Before the plenary meeting, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon addressed the members of the Community with a proposal to form a common energy market of the EurAsEC member countries: “Because of Uzbekistan’s refusal of all agreements (this country recently announced its withdrawal from the unified energy system of Central Asia. - - Ed. ) Tajikistan is suffering huge losses - it is impossible to sell the surplus in the summer, and it is impossible to buy the missing energy in the winter. We hope that the further development of the EurAsEC will allow us to resolve this issue. And now at the government level we are agreeing on joining the customs union.”
The head of the government of Kyrgyzstan Daniyar Usenov congratulated Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan on the formation of the customs union: “This is actually an important and serious step. We are members of the WTO. This membership allows us to be a member of another regional association. And we see a single customs union.”
A representative of Armenia (an observer country in the EurAsEC) explained to journalists that they were attracted by the idea of a community on an economic rather than a political basis: “Rationalism and pragmatism are very relevant now. Especially in times of crisis. Moreover, the EurAsEC countries, in addition to the customs union, discussed and the creation of an anti-crisis fund." So if Russia is ready to regularly pay its EurAsEC partners, they will obviously like the idea of joining the Customs Union and forming a single economic space even more.