INTEGRATION POTENTIAL OF THE EURASIAN MARKET

Freedom of movement of goods in the EAEU is one of the four main indicators of the development of Eurasian integration, within which significant progress has been made and which determines the attractiveness of the Union for external partners today (both in terms of access to the EAEU market and the transit of goods across the Union). Since 2016, systematic work has been carried out to identify and remove obstacles in the EAEU internal market — about 60 obstacles have been removed since the EAEU was launched. However, new obstacles have emerged in parallel and the number of withdrawals is still high. In addition to existing impediments, export restrictions on metals, food and medical products were imposed in 2020-2021 as a response to the COVID-19 crisis and to combat rising prices. The administration of such measures in the absence of customs control within the EAEU was complicated, leading, in particular, to the re-export of Russian grain through Kazakhstan. During the "peak" of the coronavirus pandemic, there was inconsistency in the actions of EAEU states in relation to the transit of goods (self-isolation requirements for drivers were introduced, transit periods were limited), which also led to additional obstacles.
The sensitive nature of individual obstacles slows down the achievement of full freedom of movement of goods in the EAEU, as well as the implementation of integration projects in the field of industrial cooperation and transport. If an obstacle cannot be removed without significant time and material costs to the member state, the use of modern digital solutions might help minimize the negative impact of such obstacles on business and end users. Such a solution in synergy with the formation of a single transport services market, the development of international transport corridors that run through the EAEU, as well as integration projects in the field of industrial cooperation, can create a multiplier effect for the economies of the Union countries and fully realize the integration potential of the Eurasian market.


Discussion points:
• What are the main achievements and challenges in ensuring the functioning of the Union's technical regulations in the EAEU countries? When will the current withdrawals caused by technical regulation be removed?
• How are digital traceability and product labelling being implemented today at the national and supranational levels? What challenges do the countries of the Union face?
• Is there currently a solution to overcome difficulties caused by the principle of "residency" applied to customs clearance of goods, as well as different approaches to the classification of goods under the TN VED? Can the interoperability of customs information systems help address this issue?
• How to solve the problem of export restrictions administration in the customs union?
• What is the state of the EAEU common market of transport services today? What EAEU country withdrawals need to be addressed to achieve this goal?
• How do existing obstacles affect the implementation of integration projects in industrial cooperation and transport, including the development of the North-South and East-West ITCs?