Sunday, 16 06 2024
Sunday, 16 06 2024
10:41
249.5 million drams to sports federations
10:22
Zelensky’s office responded to Putin’s proposals
10:03
Four forces propose holding a referendum on EU membership
11:57
Germany blocks new EU sanctions against Russia
Armen Grigoryan will leave for Switzerland on a working visit
11:19
“When sending wishes to have a leader who thinks about the country’s future, the wisher should have his own.” Spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry about Belarus
11:00
An American submarine has arrived off the coast of Cuba
10:41
Azerbaijan-EU security dialogue meeting was held
10:22
There is evidence of arms sales by Belarus to Azerbaijan. Politico
10:03
The RA Armed Forces did not fire at the Azerbaijani positions
The US Embassy appealed to the protesters and the police
Armenia officially joined NASA’s Artemis Agreement
16:23
Ukraine will receive the first F-16 fighters in the summer
L. Stepanyan: “CSTO is a fan club of Azerbaijan and dictator Aliyev.”
15:45
Vahagn Khachaturyan received the American official
15:26
“For the first time, I saw with my own eyes that we have a border.” President of Armenia
15:07
Messi will not participate in the Olympic Games
14:48
“An attempt was made to implement the second “November 9”, in case of success, the second “October 27”; Konjoryan
14:29
Ukraine and the USA will sign a security agreement
The RA ambassador to Belarus was summoned to Yerevan
13:51
“This is definitely a part of clerical-feudal deception.” Nikol Pashinyan
13:32
“Several billion dollars worth of weapons were handed over to Azerbaijan.” Nikol Pashinyan
13:13
The RA Ministry of Defense denies the Azerbaijani disinformation
12:54
Azerbaijan blames Armenia again
12:35
“I will never visit Belarus again as long as Lukashenko is the president.” Nikol Pashinyan
12:16
London will allocate almost 300 million euros to Kyiv
11:57
G7 countries will provide 50 billion dollars to Ukraine
11:38
Short rain is expected in some regions
11:19
“This was an attack on the independence and sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia.” Alain Simonyan
11:00
“We are dealing not with a clergyman but with a revanchist, a businessman.” Papoyan

The Eurasian Customs Union: Friend or Foe of the EU?

Olga Shumylo-Tapiola, a visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe, published an article analyzing EU’s approach to the newly-forming Eurasian Customs Union (EurAsEC). The analyses considers organizational aspects, state interests, previous post-Soviet integration mechanisms (supranational authority system) as well economic aspects of the union.

The customs union formed by Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan in 2010—the largest in the world by territory—is becoming very real. Though hurdles remain, member states are eliminating non-tariff barriers to trade within the union, moving toward a common external tariff, and fine-tuning a joint customs code. As the customs union’s influence on the world stage and in Europe’s neighborhood is likely to increase, the European Union (EU) should attempt to understand the project and find ways to protect its own interests.
Key Points

Russia drives the union’s development, but Belarus and Kazakhstan joined voluntarily and have some say.The Eurasian Economic Commission, the union’s single regulatory body, has been declared the member states’ representative in regional and global trade talks.

Despite its achievements, the project is not yet a genuine customs union. Members erect protectionist barriers, seem reluctant to give the supranational body authority, and have allowed exemptions to the rules. Moscow must take the lead in building trust among members.

The union agreed in principle to implement Russia’s World Trade Organization commitments, but Belarus and Kazakhstan may not actually do so.Members promised to harmonize the union’s standards with EU and international regulations. Still, local standards prevail.

Moscow wants Ukraine to become a member, but Kyiv has to decide between the customs union and the EU.

Next Steps for the EU

The EU must overcome its fears and misperceptions. For some EU member states, the customs union is Moscow’s new attempt to rebuild its empire. But this is not just a political project; the union has a practical side. The EU must accept that members were not coerced to join.

Brussels should engage with customs union staff at the technical level. The EU should educate union staff about how EU standards function to help ensure that member states comply with high international standards.

The EU should convince member states to apply EU-Russia trade commitments within the union. That would pave the way for the EU, which does not currently recognize the customs union, to negotiate trade matters with the Eurasian Economic Commission.

The EU should separate Ukraine from its relations with the customs union and reassess its policy toward the post-Soviet space. If the EU separated its geopolitical fear of losing Ukraine to Russia from its relations with the customs union, tensions between Brussels and Moscow could ease. More broadly, the EU must realize that the European model may not apply to the entire post-Soviet space

Access the full text here.

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