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Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia

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Participants:  Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia

Background

On August 17, 2006, at the Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC) summit, which was held in Sochi, the leaders of the EAEC member states signed the document charging the EAEC secretariat and three member states – Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia – with taking necessary steps to create the legal groundwork for the Customs Union formation.

On October 6, 2007, the EAEC summit, which was held in Dushanbe, accepted the concept of the Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. It was also decided to form the Customs Union Сomission – supranational body. In the body Russia got 57% of the vote, while Kazakhstan and Belarus – 21.5% each.

On January 27, 2008, Moscow hosted the Intergovernmental Council meeting (at the level of the heads of government) of the Eurasian Economic Community. Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan signed the set of the first international agreements forming the treaty-legal groundwork of the Customs Union within the EAEC. The set of the agreements includes nine documents – the agreement on the single customs and tariffs regulation, the agreement on export customs duties towards the third countries, the agreement on the single rules of determination of a country where goods are made; the agreement on application of special protective, antidumping and compensation measures towards the third countries.

On June 9, 2009, Moscow hosted the meeting of the heads of government of the Customs Union member states. The Customs Union member states said that they had decided to “approve the single customs tariff project and to submit it for approval by the EAEC Intergovernmental Council…, meaning the single customs tariff’s coming into force on January 1, 2010”. Besides that, the Customs Union member states decided to “approve the proposals in accordance with the stages and the terms of formation of the single customs area proceeding from…completion of all necessary procedures by July 1, 2011”. Also, in accordance with the meeting results, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said that Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan intended to join the WTO as a single customs area.

In June 2009, the Belarusian, Kazakh, and Russian delegations held an informal meeting with representatives of the WTO 60-70 member states in Geneva. The information about the Customs Union and about Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia’s intention to join the WTO together was made public at the meeting. At the same time, the statement was oral, and the individual negotiations were continued in the legal context.

On July 12, 2009, following the G-8 summit Dmitry Medvedev, President of Russia, said that, in his opinion, it would be more realistic if Russia joined the WTO independently with coordinating its positions with the Customs Union. The whole Customs Union’s joining the WTO was acknowledged to be “quite problematic”.

On September 25, 2009, at the meeting of the EAEC integration committee in Almaty the Customs Union Commission approved the single Customs Code project. The single customs tariff and the treaty projects were also approved.

On November 17, 2009, Aliaksandr Lukashenka, President of Belarus, during his meeting with the government, expressed the doubt about rightness of Belarus’ position at the negotiations on signing the documents concerning the Customs Union. He reproached the Belarusian negotiators with insufficient firmness.

On November 27, 2009, in Minsk, within the EAEC Intergovernmental Council, Aliaksandr Lukashenka, Nursultan Nazarbayev and Dmitry Medvedev, Presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia, signed the documents on creation of the Customs Union since January 1, 2010. The single customs tariff should come into force on January 1, 2010. The Customs Union itself is to come to exist right after the Customs Code of the Customs Union becomes effective – on July 1, 2010.

On January 1, 2010, the Customs Union agreement and the single customs tariff came into effect.

Major Objectives

The Customs Union formation provides for the creation of a single customs area within which no customs duties and economic limitations are applied except special protective, antidumping and compensation measures. The Customs Union applies the single customs tariff and other single measures of regulation of the goods trade with the third countries.

Documents

The Customs Union’s work is regulated by the following documents:

  • The Decision of the EAEC Intergovernmental Council dated October 6, 2007, “On formation of the legal groundwork for the Customs Union within the Eurasian Economic Community”  Doc  (93 kb, in Russian);
  • The Treaty on the Customs Code of the Customs Union  Doc  (107 kb, in Russian).
Managing Bodies

The Intergovernmental Councils at the level of the heads of state and the heads of government are the Managing Body of the Customs Union.

The Intergovernmental Council at the level of the heads of state includes President of Belarus, President of Kazakhstan and President of Russia.

The Intergovernmental Council at the level of the heads of government includes Prime Minister of Belarus, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan and Prime Minster of Russia.

Besides that, there is the regulating body of the Customs Union – the Customs Union Commission, which is headed by the executive secretary and acts permanently.

Personalities

Sergei Glaziev, Executive Secretary of the Customs Union Commission

More details
  • The Customs Union on the EAEC website


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