The territory of the country's customs union. What is a customs union and what does it mean

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 Customs Union of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) to strengthen the economies of the participating countries and "rapprochement with 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.

The history of the creation of the Eurasian Economic Union

In 1995, the presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia and later the acceding 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 a first step towards the formation of a broader European Union type of economic union of the former Soviet republics.

The establishment of the Eurasian Customs Union was guaranteed by 3 different treaties signed in 1995, 1999 and 2007. The first treaty 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.

The 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, which 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 will enter into force before 2015. Some technical regulations are yet to be developed.

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

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 framework of the Customs Union", - such a certificate is valid in all three member countries of the Customs Union.

Since November 19, 2011, the member states have implemented the work of the 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 the basic package of 17 agreements governing the launch of the Common Economic Space (CES).

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

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 announced its intention to participate in the EAEU.

Economy of the Eurasian Economic Union

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

Reducing the prices of goods, due to a decrease in the cost of transporting raw materials or exporting finished products.

Stimulation of "healthy" competition in the common market of the EAEU due to the equal level of economic development.

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

Average increase wages by reducing costs and increasing productivity.

Increasing production due to increased demand for goods.

Increasing the well-being of the peoples of the EAEU countries, due to lower food prices and an increase in employment.

Increasing the payback of new technologies and products due to the increased market size.

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 have not received broad powers to control compliance with the agreements. If the EEC resolutions are not implemented, the disputed 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, topical issues on the creation of a single financial regulator, on the policy in the field of energy trade, as well as on the problem of the existence of exemptions and restrictions in trade between the EAEU participants 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 supreme 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 adopted decisions become binding for implementation 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 initiatives for economic integration within the EAEU.

The powers of the Eurasian Economic Commission are defined in Article 3 of the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Commission dated November 18, 2010. All rights and functions of the previously existing Commission of the Customs Union have been 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;
• enrollment 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 purchases;
• domestic service trade and investment;
• transport and transportation;
• monetary policy;
• intellectual property and copyright;
• migration policy;
• financial markets (banking, insurance, currency and stock markets);
• and some other areas.

The Commission ensures the implementation of international treaties that make up the legal framework of the Eurasian Economic Union.

The Commission is also the depository of international treaties that constituted the legal framework of the CU and the CES, 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 may also make decisions that are binding on the member countries of the EAEU.

The budget of the Commission is made up of the contributions of the Member States and is approved by the Heads of the 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 broke that Armenia would sign an agreement on joining 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 the accession of Armenia to the EAEU is in the governments of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus, where it is going through the necessary bureaucratic stages, and after the decision of the governments, the question of the place 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 accession to the EAEU so far (previously, the date was announced - until the end of 2014). In addition, the population of the country, apparently, is not particularly eager to join the EAEU. Such a conclusion can be drawn based on civic activity in collecting 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 petition.

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 Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM). According to researchers, only 20% of those polled were in favor of joining the union of Kyrgyzstan, the same number of votes for Moldova. The most desirable country that the Russians would like to see as allies turned out to be Armenia. 45% of respondents voted for it.

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

Poll of public opinion in the CIS regarding integration

Since 2012, the Eurasian Development Bank (established in Russia and Kazakhstan) has been conducting a regular survey 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 the Common Economic Space (in fact, the single market of the three countries). How do you feel about this decision?

The results of the answers "profitable" and "very profitable" are given below:

As you can see, the idea of ​​creating the Customs Union and the Eurasian Economic Union as a whole is approved and looks “beneficial” in the eyes of the majority of the population of 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.

In Astana (Kazakhstan) by the presidents of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. Entered into force on January 1, 2015.

: Armenia (since January 2, 2015), Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan (since August 12, 2015) and Russia.

The population of the EAEU countries as of January 1, 2016 is 182.7 million people (2.5% of the world population). Gross domestic product in the EAEU countries in 2014 amounted to $2.2 trillion (3.2% in the structure of world GDP). Volume industrial production reached 1.3 trillion dollars (3.7% of world industrial production). The volume of foreign trade in goods of the EAEU with third countries in 2014 amounted to 877.6 billion dollars (3.7% of world exports, 2.3% of world imports).

The Eurasian Economic Union was created on the basis of the Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus and the Common Economic Space as an international organization for regional economic integration with international legal personality.

Within the framework of the Union, freedom of movement of goods, services, capital and work force, conducting a coordinated, coordinated or unified policy in key sectors of the economy.

The idea of ​​creating the EAEU was laid down in the Declaration on Eurasian Economic Integration adopted by the presidents of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan on November 18, 2011. It fixes the goals of Eurasian economic integration for the future, including the task of creating the Eurasian Economic Union by January 1, 2015.

The creation of the EAEU means a transition to the next stage of integration after the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space.

The main goals of the Union are:

— creation of conditions for the stable development of the economies of the Member States in the interests of raising the living standards of their population;

— the desire to form a single market for goods, services, capital and labor resources within the Union;

— comprehensive modernization, cooperation and increasing the competitiveness of national economies in the global economy.

The supreme body of the EAEU is the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council (SEEC), which includes the heads of member states. The SEEC considers the fundamental issues of the Union's activities, determines the strategy, directions and prospects for the development of integration and makes decisions aimed at realizing the goals of the Union.

Meetings Supreme Council are held at least once a year. Extraordinary meetings of the Supreme Council may be convened on the initiative of any of the Member States or the Chairman of the Supreme Council to resolve urgent issues of the Union's activities.

Implementation and control over the execution of the EAEU Treaty, international treaties within the Union and decisions of the Supreme Council are ensured by the Intergovernmental Council (EMC), consisting of the heads of government of the Member States. Meetings of the Intergovernmental Council are held as needed, but at least twice a year.

The Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) is a permanent supranational regulatory body of the Union headquartered in Moscow. The main tasks of the Commission are to ensure the conditions for the functioning and development of the Union, as well as the development of proposals in the field of economic integration within the Union.

The Court of the Union is the judicial body of the Union, which ensures the application by the Member States and bodies of the Union of the Treaty on the EAEU and other international treaties within the Union.

The chairmanship of the SEEC, the EMC and the EEC Council (the level of vice-premiers) is carried out on a rotational basis in the order of the Russian alphabet by one member state for one calendar year without the right to renew.

In 2016, Kazakhstan chairs these bodies.

The Union is open for entry by any state that shares its goals and principles, on terms agreed by the member states. There is also a procedure for secession from the Union.

Financing of the activities of the Union's bodies is carried out at the expense of the Union's budget, which is formed in Russian rubles at the expense of the share contributions of the Member States.

The EAEU budget for 2016 is 7,734,627.0 thousand rubles.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources

The Customs Union (CU) is an official association based on the agreement of the participating countries on the abolition of customs borders between them, and, accordingly, the abolition of duties. Also, the basis for the functioning of the union is the use of a single tariff for all other states. As a result, the Customs Union created a huge unified customs territory, within which goods are moved without the cost of crossing customs borders.

Although the Customs Union was legally created in 2010, it actually began to work only on July 1, 2011, when the acts on the creation of a single customs territory came into force in the participating countries, and all control and regulatory bodies were created and began to work. On the this moment CU members are five states - Russia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan. Several more countries are official candidates for membership in the organization or are considering this step.

Russia

The Russian Federation is the initiator and the basis of the CU. This country has the most powerful economy among all participating countries, and within the framework of the Union it has got the opportunity to increase the competitiveness of its products within the common market, which, according to experts, will give it additional profit in less than 10 years, totaling $ 400 billion.

Kazakhstan

For Kazakhstan, participation in the Customs Union is first of all good because it made it possible to enter the union, which gives a total of up to 16% of world grain exports. Working in the same field, Kazakhstan and Russia got the opportunity to significantly influence the world grain market, changing its conditions in their favor. In addition, the rapidly developing agricultural industry of Kazakhstan in this way managed to significantly strengthen its position in the Russian Federation and other countries of the association.

Belarus

For Belarus, which has long been partly integrated with Russia into a single customs and economic field, participation in the Customs Union allowed expanding the geography of preferential supplies of its products to several more countries, and also increased the inflow of investments, in particular, from Kazakhstan. According to experts' forecasts, participation in the CU annually brings Belarus up to $2 billion in additional profit.

Armenia and Kyrgyzstan

These countries have recently become members of the Customs Union. Their involvement made it possible to further strengthen the association's position in the global energy market. These same countries have received preferential access to markets whose aggregate volume greatly exceeds their economic capacity, so they predict an acceleration in GDP growth and the general welfare of the population.

On the whole, the Customs Union is viewed as a mutually beneficial economic partnership of geographically and mentally close countries that have equal rights and opportunities within the association. Given the prospects for new members to join, we can expect that in the near future the CU will become an even more powerful and influential economic bloc.

Ask your question about the member states of the Customs Union:

06.11.2018

Customs Union (CU)- an interstate agreement within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). The Customs Union assumes the abolition of customs duties and similar payments in mutual trade between the member countries of the union. In addition, the Customs Union unifies the methods of quality assessment and certification, creates a single database on certain aspects of economic activity.

The conclusion of the Union is the basis for the creation of a single customs space on the territory of its participants and the transfer of customs barriers to the external borders of the Union. Based on this, all countries of the customs area apply a single, coordinated approach to customs procedures and goods imported and exported across the borders of the CU.

Also, throughout the territory of the Customs Union, equal rights are assumed for citizens of the participating countries in employment.

Members of the Customs Union at present (2016) are members of the EAEU:

• Republic of Armenia;
• Republic of Belarus;
• The Republic of Kazakhstan;
• Republic of Kyrgyzstan;
• Russian Federation.

Syria and Tunisia announced their intention to join the CU, and a proposal was made to admit Turkey to the Union. However, nothing is known about specific actions to implement these intentions.

The governing and coordination bodies in the EAEU are:

• The Supreme Eurasian Economic Council is a supranational body consisting of the heads of states of the EAEU members;
• The Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) is a permanent regulatory body of the EAEU. The competence of the EEC includes, among other things, issues of international trade and customs regulation.

It would be fair to say that the Customs Union is one of the stages of the plan to strengthen economic ties between certain states in the territory former USSR. In a certain sense, this can be seen as the restoration of once existing economic and technological chains, taking into account new, political and economic realities.

An important aspect of the Union's activity was the system of centralized distribution of customs duties paid when crossing the borders of the Common Economic Space.

• Russia accounts for 85.33% of total amount;
• Kazakhstan receives - 7.11%;
• Belarus - 4.55%;
• Kyrgyzstan - 1.9%;
• Armenia - 1.11%.

In addition, the CU has a mechanism for the coordinated collection and distribution of indirect taxes.

Thus, in its current state, the Customs Union is a way of economic integration of the states that are members of the EAEU.

Official information about the Customs Union can be obtained from the website of the Eurasian Economic Union - eurasiancommission.org.

The history of the creation of the vehicle

For a better understanding of the prerequisites and goals for the creation of the Customs Union, it would be useful to consider the evolution of integration processes in the post-Soviet space:

• 1995 - Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia sign the first agreement on the establishment of the Customs Union. Subsequently, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan join the agreement;
• 2007 - Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia conclude an agreement on a single customs territory and the construction of the Customs Union;
• 2009 - previously concluded agreements are filled with concrete content, about 40 international treaties are signed. A decision is made to form from January 1, 2010 a single customs area on the territory of Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan;
• 2010 - the Common Customs Tariff comes into force, the Common Customs Code for the three states is adopted;
• 2011 - customs control is removed from the borders between the CU states and transferred to their external borders with third countries;
• 2011 - 2013 - the development and adoption of common for the countries of the Union continues legislative norms, the first unified technical regulation on product safety appears;
• 2015 - Armenia and Kyrgyzstan join the Customs Union.
• 2016 - Entry into force of the Agreement on a free trade zone between the EAEU and Vietnam. Statement of the Presidents of the EAEU countries "On the Digital Agenda of the Eurasian Economic Union".
• 2017 - "White Paper" of barriers, exemptions and restrictions. Signing and ratification of the Treaty on the Customs Code of the EAEU.
• 2018 - Entry into force of the Treaty on the Customs Code of the EAEU. Granting the Republic of Moldova the status of an observer country to the EAEU. Signing of the Agreement on trade and economic cooperation between the EAEU and the PRC. Signing of an Interim Agreement leading to the creation of a free trade zone between the EAEU and Iran.

It must be said that the integration processes, with different speed and results, constantly went the entire described period. Legislation and customs tariffs in trade with third countries were gradually brought to general norms.

Goals of the Customs Union and their implementation

The immediate goal of the Customs Union was to increase the markets for goods and services produced by its members. The calculation was made, first of all, on the growth of sales within the Common Customs Space of the Union. This was supposed to be achieved by:

• Cancellation of internal customs payments, which should contribute to the price attractiveness of products manufactured in the Union;
• Acceleration of the turnover of goods in connection with the abolition of customs control and clearance when they are moved within the CU;
• Adoption of general sanitary-epidemiological and veterinary requirements, common standards for the safety of goods and services, mutual recognition of test results.

To unify approaches to quality and safety, an interstate agreement was concluded on mandatory certification of products specified in the "Unified list of products subject to mandatory assessment (confirmation) of conformity within the framework of the Customs Union with the issuance of single documents." For 2016, more than three dozen regulations on the requirements for the safety and quality of goods, works and services have been agreed. Certificates issued by any state are valid in all others.

The next goal of the Customs Union should be called the joint protection of the domestic market of the Customs Union, the creation of favorable conditions for the production and sale, first of all, of the domestic products of the member countries of the Union. At this point, the program of mutual understanding between the states turned out to be somewhat less than in matters of mutual trade. Each country had its own priorities in the development of production, while protecting the interests of neighbors sometimes had a bad effect on importing enterprises and the population.

Contradictions in the TC

The Customs Union united states with a common past, including economic, but different present, primarily economic. Each of the former Soviet republics and in Soviet period had its own specialization, and in the years of independence there were many other changes associated with attempts to find their place in the world market and in the regional division of labor. Belarus and Kyrgyzstan, states equally distant geographically and in structure, have few mutual interests. But there are similar interests. The economic structure of both countries has been built since Soviet times in such a way that it needs the Russian market. The situation in Kazakhstan and Armenia is somewhat different, but for them, too, ties with Russia are extremely important, largely for geopolitical reasons.

At the same time, the Russian economy was successfully growing until the end of 2014 due to high, gas and other raw materials. What gave the Russian Federation financial opportunities to finance integration processes. This course of action may not have promised immediate economic benefits, but it did suggest Russia's growing influence on the world stage. Thus, the Russian Federation has always been the real driving force behind the processes of Eurasian unification in general and the Customs Union in particular.

The history of the integration processes of the last decades looks like a series of compromises between the influence of Russia and the interests of its neighbors. For example, Belarus has repeatedly stated that it is not the Customs Union itself that is important to it, but a single economic space with equal prices for oil and gas and the admission of enterprises of the Republic to Russian public procurement. For the sake of this, Belarus agreed to increase tariffs for the import of passenger cars in 2010-2011, without own production similar products. Such a "sacrifice" also became the reason for the announcement of mandatory certification of goods light industry, which hurt the small retail trade. In addition, the internal standards of the Customs Union had to be brought into line with the norms, although Russia is a member of this organization (and enjoys the relevant opportunities in international trade), while Belarus is not.

So far, the Republic of Belarus has not received the desired benefits in full, because. questions about equal with domestic prices for energy carriers are postponed until 2025. Also, Belarusian enterprises did not receive opportunities to participate in the Russian import substitution program.

It should be noted that the Customs Union agreements have many exceptions and clarifications, anti-dumping, protective and countervailing measures that do not allow talking about a common benefit and equal conditions for all members of the organization. Practically each of the CU states at certain moments expressed its dissatisfaction with the contractual terms.

Despite the elimination customs posts within the Union, border controls between states are maintained. Also, checks by sanitary control services continue at the internal borders. The practice of their work demonstrates neither mutual trust nor the declared unity of approaches. An example of this is the “food wars” that periodically arise between Russia and Belarus. Their usual scenario begins with the non-recognition of the quality of products certified by the Belarusian side and leads to a ban on deliveries to Russian consumers "until the defects are eliminated."

Advantages of the Customs Union

At the moment (2016), it is impossible to talk about the achievement of the goals declared at the conclusion of the Customs Union, the internal trade turnover between the CU participants is falling. There are also no special advantages for the economy compared to the period before the conclusion of the agreements.

At the same time, there are reasons to believe that without the agreement on the Customs Union, the situation would look even more depressing. Crisis phenomena in each individual economy could have a greater scale and depth. Presence in the CU gives many enterprises a comparative advantage in the intra-union market.

The shared distribution of customs duties between the CU states also looks favorable for Belarus and Kazakhstan (initially, the Russian Federation claimed to transfer 93% of the total to its own).

The agreements in force in the Customs Union make it possible to sell duty-free cars produced on the territory of the Union in the industrial assembly mode. Thanks to this, Belarus received foreign investment in the construction of enterprises for the production of passenger cars. Until that time, such projects were not successful due to the small volume of the Belarusian sales market itself.

The practice of applying customs agreements

Studying the published information about the creation and functioning of the Customs Union, it is easy to see that the declarative part, i.e. ratified interstate agreements and general documents are mentioned much more often than specific figures for increasing trade turnover.

But the Union should obviously not be treated as a PR campaign. There is a noticeable simplification of the movement of goods, a decrease in the number of administrative procedures, some improvement competitive conditions at the enterprises of the member countries of the Customs Union. Probably, it takes time and mutual interest not only of state institutions, but also of economic entities within the CU to fill the agreed unified rules with economic content.

For many centuries, customs unions of several states have been one of the main factors for the convergence of the participating countries in matters of economy, trade, finance, and later, possibly, political course. Already in early XIX century, from the majority of German states that agreed to abolish all customs barriers among themselves, and from the duties levied on the borders of the territory of the union, to form a common cash desk, the German Customs Union was created. European Union, one of the main economic and political associations modern world, also began as the Association of Coal and Steel, which later passed into the Customs Union, and then into the single market zone. Of course, the processes of these transitions were not without problems and contradictions, but common economic goals and political will tipped the scales in their favor.

Based on the foregoing, the desire of the former republics of the USSR, which entered the democratic path of development, to create a similar institution at the turn of the century is quite logical and justified. Four years after the collapse of the Union, three chapters now already independent states- Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus - signed a package of documents on the creation of the Customs Union, the purpose of which was the free movement of goods, services and capital within the borders of these countries, as well as the creation of a common course in trade, currency, customs and tax policies.

Despite the fact that since 1999 practical measures have been taken to create a single customs territory, single rates of customs duties and a single tariff and trade policy, the Single Customs Code began to be applied only in 2010 and, accordingly, it was from that moment that de facto existence began. Customs Union. The very next year, customs control on the borders of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan was abolished and transferred to the outer contour of the borders of the Customs Union. Kyrgyzstan is in the process of joining the union, and the governments of Tajikistan and Armenia are also thinking about joining. Starting from 2012, on the basis of the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, the Common Economic Space was created, the purpose of which was a more complete and efficient provision of goods, services, capital and labor across the borders of the CES member countries.

The relevance of the topic is due, first of all, to the fact that the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan became the first truly functioning integration association of states on the territory of the former USSR. Such an association was simply necessary in view of the fact that in our time the politicians of the states of the post-Soviet space are increasingly forced to implement joint management of the economy in conditions of managed integration. The reason for this is the various economic shocks in various CIS countries and the weakly tangible results of overcoming these shocks.

This term paper is the consideration of the Customs Union as a type of international economic organization. To achieve it, the following tasks are set:

• assessment of world experience in the creation of economic unions;
• consideration of the prerequisites for the creation and stages of the formation of the Customs Union;
• detection economic problems Customs Union and the proposal of ways to solve them.

1.1 Essence and stages of economic integration

In order to understand the goals and motives for creating the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, one must first understand the very essence of economic integration. This is a fairly high, effective and promising stage in the development of the world economy, a qualitatively new and more complex stage in the internationalization of economic ties. Economic integration leads not only to the convergence of national economies, but also provides a joint solution of economic problems. Therefore, economic integration can be represented as a process of economic interaction between countries, leading to convergence of economic mechanisms, taking the form of interstate agreements and coordinated by interstate bodies.

It should be noted that the majority of integration unions appeared relatively recently, over the past 50 years. Among them are the European Union (EU), the North American Free Trade Area NAFTA, the Common Economic Space of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, and many others. All of them differ from each other both in terms of the level of interaction between the enterprises of the Member States, and in terms of the degree of merging of national economies. The Hungarian economist Bela Balassa identified five forms of economic integration, going from the lowest to the highest - a free trade area, a customs union, a single market, an economic union and a political union. However, at present there is no unanimity on the question of the number of these forms. Some scientists distinguish four or five stages, others six. Some believe that the transition from a monetary union to an economic union should also be celebrated, and some the other way around.

If we talk about the principles of the activities of integration groups, then they are: promoting trade; expansion of international and interregional cooperation, both in production and in financial, scientific and technical fields; development of international transport infrastructure . As a result, at the moment we have a huge volume international movement goods and services, gigantic flows of labor migration, transfer of knowledge and ideas, cross-border exchange of capital. All this is impossible to imagine in a situation where each state conducts its economic activities independently. On the other hand, the scale and speed of all these processes cause heated discussions in the scientific community, which received a special response after the ratification of NAFTA in 1993. Among these discussions are questions about whether regional economic organizations are dangerous or useful for the liberalization of world trade, the benefits of trade, and the effectiveness of the model of global economic integration.

Continuing the theme of the expediency of economic integration, one should recall the article by R. Lipsey and C. Lancaster "The General Theory of the Second Best". Based on this work, despite the fact that only free trade leads to an efficient distribution of resources, as long as there are trade barriers against third countries, it is impossible to judge the economic effects for the countries participating in the integration grouping. It is concluded that a small reduction in tariffs is more likely to have a positive effect on the welfare of countries than the complete abolition of tariffs, which is typical, for example, for customs unions. However, this conclusion cannot be called unequivocally correct, since, other things being equal, the more local products are consumed within the country and the less imported, the more likely it is to improve its well-being as a result of the formation of a customs union. This improvement will be explained by the fact that the replacement of goods produced in the country with goods of countries participating in the customs union will lead to a trade creation effect, since the comparative advantages of national producers will be used in production. Thus, the customs union will stimulate trade between the participating countries, thereby increasing their well-being.

Thus, it can be concluded that the creation of a customs union does not provide any guarantees for the growth of the welfare of the member states, however, the introduction of common customs tariffs or a single currency can have positive effects, both in production and consumption.

Let us now consider examples of various economic integrations on the world stage and specifically on the territory of the former USSR.

As stated above, the first form of economic integration is the free trade area (FTA). Her main principle- elimination of tariff and quantitative restrictions on trade between states. An FTA agreement is usually based on the principle of a mutual moratorium on tariff increases, following which partners do not have the right to unilaterally raise customs duties or erect new trade barriers. At the same time, each state has the right to determine its trade policy in relation to countries that are not members of the FTA independently. An example of an FTA at the global level is the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA), whose members are the United States of America, Mexico and Canada. Among the points of the agreement on the establishment of this FTA, which entered into force in 1994, is the elimination of customs tariffs and non-tariff barriers for industrial and agricultural goods, the development general rules for investment, protection of intellectual property rights and resolution of trade disputes between participating countries. On the territory of Europe, the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), which currently includes Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Liechtenstein, can be considered as an FTA. Speaking about the FTA in the post-Soviet space, first of all it is worth mentioning the CIS Free Trade Zone, which includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine. In addition, after the collapse of the USSR, there also existed the Baltic Free Trade Area (created in 1993 between Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia) and the Central European Free Trade Association (created in 1992, the participants are Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and the Czech Republic ), however, with the accession of the participating countries to the European Union, the agreements according to the FTA data have lost their force.

The next stage of economic integration, which is the most interesting for us in the context of this work, is the customs union (CU), which can be defined as an agreement between two or more states to abolish customs duties in trade between them. Based on the XIV General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the CU replaces several customs territories with one with the complete abolition of customs duties within the CU and the creation of a single external customs tariff. Note that customs unions are popular in developing countries, so all countries Latin America are members of the CU, they are also the countries of Central and South Africa. The largest Customs Union in terms of area is the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, which will be discussed in more detail in the following paragraphs of this paper. Also of note are the MERCOSUR South American Common Market (CU agreement between Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Venezuela) and the Benelux (unification of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg).

A higher level of integration is the single market. In the post-Soviet space, it exists in the form of the Common Economic Space created by the members of the CU of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. In the West, the main representative is the European Union (EU).

The Customs Union abolishes customs duties for member countries and develops a common customs policy for goods from third countries, thereby creating the prerequisites for the transition to a single market. However, for this transition it is necessary to implement some tasks that are not possible within the framework of the customs union. First of all, this is the development of a general policy for the development of individual sectors of the economy, in which it is necessary to take into account the degree of its importance for integration, as well as its impact on society and on changes in the needs and requirements of consumers. For example, when creating a single market in the EU, transport and agriculture were identified as the main such sectors. In addition, it is necessary to create conditions for the unhindered movement of services, capital and labor between participating States.

A controversial step in the classification of integration development is the monetary union. In addition to the already implemented agreements on a single market and a single monetary policy, a gradual transition to a common currency is added, respectively, a single central bank or a system of central banks is being organized, which conducts a currency and emission policy agreed between the participating countries. The advantages of a monetary union are obvious - reducing the cost of settlement services for transactions, greater price transparency, increased competition, and improved business climate. However, it is worth considering the different economic situation of the member countries of the monetary union, the differences in which can serve as a significant problem for its normal functioning. This is currently faced by the main monetary union - the Eurozone, which includes 18 EU countries and EU special territories. There are currently no currency unions in the post-Soviet space. Not so long ago, there were rumors about the imminent introduction of a single currency called "altyn" on the territory of the Common Economic Space, but the chairman of the Eurasian Economic Commission Viktor Khristenko denied these rumors.

The highest form of economic integration is an economic union, where the single market and monetary union operate under a common economic policy. An economic union is characterized by the emergence of supranational economic bodies, whose economic decisions become binding on the member countries of this union. Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan plan to create the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) by 2015, which will be the first economic union in the post-Soviet space.

2. Prospects for the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan

2.1 Prerequisites and stages of the creation of the Customs Union

Despite the fact that the first agreement on the conclusion of the Customs Union was signed by the former Soviet republics in 1995, in order to trace the prerequisites for its creation, it is necessary to go back a little further into the past. Two years earlier, the Russian Federation, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan signed an agreement on the creation of an Economic Union. In this treaty, we are interested in Art. 4, which states that the Economic Union is being created through a gradual deepening of integration, coordination of actions in the implementation economic reforms. It is here that the Customs Union appears for the first time as one of the forms of this integration.

The next step was the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Belarus "On a unified procedure for regulating foreign economic activity" dated April 12, 1994. This is the first example of the unification of customs legislation, which provided that the Republic of Belarus would introduce on its territory customs tariffs, taxes and fees for the import and export of goods that are completely identical to those on the territory of the Russian Federation. Thanks to this agreement, goods originating from the territory of Russia and Belarus could be moved from the customs territory of one of these states to the customs territory of the other without any restrictions and the collection of customs duties and taxes. It became a key step for the subsequent creation of the Customs Union.

Only a year later, on January 6, 1995 between Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus signed the Agreement on the Customs Union between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus. Less than a month later, on January 20, 1995, the Republic of Kazakhstan decided to join this agreement, and the agreement was signed simultaneously with Russia and Belarus, which acted as one side. In 1996 Kyrgyzstan joined these Agreements. It was in this agreement that the main goals of the creation of the Customs Union were identified:

• ensuring by joint actions the socio-economic progress of their countries by eliminating the dividing obstacles between them for free economic interaction between economic entities;
• guaranteeing the sustainable development of the economy, free trade and fair competition;
• strengthening the coordination of the economic policies of their countries and ensuring the comprehensive development of the national economy;
• creating conditions for the formation of a common economic space;
• creating conditions for the active entry of the member states of the Customs Union into the world market.

In 1997 between Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia, an Agreement was concluded on common measures of non-tariff regulation in the formation of the Customs Union.

In 1999 Tajikistan joins this economic association and also joins the 1995 Customs Union Agreement.

One of the next major steps in bringing the Customs Union into effect was 1999, when the parties to the 1995 Customs Union Agreement signed the Treaty on the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space. A whole chapter of three sections in it was devoted to the conditions for completing the formation of the Customs Union. Among them, the presence of a single customs territory and customs tariff; a regime that does not allow any tariff and non-tariff restrictions in mutual trade; uniform mechanisms for regulating the economy and trade, based on universal market principles of management and harmonized economic legislation; implementation of a unified customs policy and application of unified customs regimes; simplification and subsequent abolition of customs control at internal customs borders. Also, the agreement introduced the concept of a single customs territory and defined the executive body of the Customs Union, acting at the stage of its formation - the Integration Committee, located in Kazakhstan in the city of Almaty.
The next advance in the creation of the Customs Union came with the establishment in 2000 of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC). In Art. 2 of the agreement on its establishment clearly states that the EurAsEC is being created to effectively promote the process of formation by the contracting parties of the Customs Union.

October 6, 2007 a number of agreements were signed, which are fundamental in the creation of the Customs Union. First, changes were made to the Treaty establishing the EurAsEC, in accordance with which the supreme body of the Customs Union, the Interstate Council, was formed. It is both the supreme body of the EurAsEC and the supreme body of the Customs Union, but decisions on the issues of the Customs Union are made by members of the Interstate Council from the member states of the Customs Union. Also, the Protocol of October 6, 2007 on amendments to the Treaty on the Establishment of the Eurasian Economic Community of October 10, 2000 expanded the competence of the EurAsEC Court, which received the right to consider cases on the compliance of acts of the Customs Union bodies with international treaties that form the legal framework of the Customs Union. Secondly, the Treaty on the Establishment of a Single Customs Territory and the Formation of the Customs Union consolidated the very concept of "Customs Union", as well as a list of measures necessary to complete the formation of the Customs Union. Thirdly, the Treaty on the Commission of the Customs Union established a new body - the Commission of the Customs Union - a single permanent regulatory body of the Customs Union, one of the principles of which is the voluntary gradual transfer of part of the powers of state bodies to the Commission.

In 2009, at the level of heads of state and government, about 40 international treaties were adopted and ratified, which formed the basis of the Customs Union, and on July 1, 2010, the Uniform Customs Code began to be applied on the territory of three states.

Based on all the above documents, two main conclusions can be drawn: despite the start of the actual work of the Customs Union since 2010, the possibility of its creation was legally fixed back in 1993, and the participating countries have been making decisions on its creation as a single bloc since 1995. In fairness, it is worth noting that the broad masses started talking about the Customs Union of the three states only when high turnovers on its creation were achieved, that is, approximately in 2009, although the idea of ​​the Customs Union of Russia and Belarus was widely known.

As for the reasons for creating the Customs Union, one of them was definitely the geopolitical situation. After the collapse of the USSR and the so-called “parade of sovereignties”, Russia found itself surrounded by integration associations such as NATO and the European Union. In addition, some neighboring countries, like Georgia and Ukraine, have also taken a pro-Western political vector. It became more and more difficult to resist them alone. Apparently, the leadership of our country has realized that in such conditions, further development is possible only if there are real allies, and the customs union is one of the best means economic integration of states.

The second reason is economic. As you know, relatively recently, in 2012, Russia became the 156th member of the World Trade Organization(WTO). However, negotiations on Russia's accession to this organization have been conducted since 1993, while the WTO chairmen did not give a firm refusal. In order not to waste time, the country's leadership decided to create a trade bloc, an alternative to the WTO. Given that at that time Belarus and Kazakhstan had zero chances to join the WTO, the creation of such a bloc was a success. In addition, there was a pragmatic interest of three states: Russia received new sales markets, Kazakhstan - the reorientation of Chinese goods flows to itself with their subsequent direction to Russia, Belarus - duty-free receipt of energy resources (which, by the way, at some point in time became a stumbling block in negotiations between the three countries and even called into question the membership of Belarus in the Customs Union).

Perhaps there was also the idea that the trade advantages of the Customs Union would allow us to be self-sufficient in the production and trade of our goods, without experiencing problems from the lack of membership in the WTO of all three states. In the case of joining the WTO, it was assumed that it would be easier to do this as part of the "troika", subsequently Russia repeatedly voiced this fact as an argument for accelerating this process. However, as practice has shown, the economic situation in Kazakhstan and Belarus does not yet allow these states to become part of the WTO after Russia. And if in 2013, at that time, WTO Director General Pascal Lamy said that Kazakhstan was at a fairly advanced stage of negotiations on WTO accession, then on the issue of Belarus, negotiations are very slow and may not be completed soon enough.

2.2 Problems of functioning of the Customs Union

The main factor in the creation of any trade union is the trade turnover between member states. As mentioned earlier, after the formation of regional trade unions, the process of reorientation of local consumers to internal integration sources begins. The closer the trade links between these sources, the more successful the union will be in terms of achieving integration goals.

Let us note a small pattern - the greater the weight of the trade union in world exports, the higher the share of mutual trade between its members in the total volume of the union's foreign trade. In this regard, the trade of the member countries of the Customs Union with each other is very much inferior to trade with third countries. Let's take for comparison the most successful example of modern economic integration - the European Union, the need to apply the experience of which in the process of Eurasian integration was repeatedly referred to by V. V. Putin and D. A. Medvedev. When the markets of the member states of the European Union united, this association was directed primarily inward. As a result, more than 60% of the foreign trade of the EU countries is directed to trade within the EU. It is this factor that distinguishes the development of Eurasian and European integration. Below are export data for some economic unions:

Table 2.2.1. Export of economic unions in 2013, %

Let's take the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) as a counter example. In this regional union, the volume of trade between the participating countries is extremely low and amounts to only 7.15%. Thus, we see that in the absence of strong intra-union trade ties, obstacles appear on the way to the development of economic integration.

In order to identify the next problem of the Customs Union, consider the largest trading partners of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan in 2013.

Table 2.2.2. Main foreign trade partners of the CU and SES member countries, 2013

According to the above table, it can be seen that the main trading partners of Belarus are Russia, the Netherlands and Ukraine. Kazakhstan is not even in the top ten and is only in 12th place.

Regarding Kazakhstan, one can see that its main trading partners are China, Russia and Italy. In this case, Belarus is even further away, in 23rd place.

As for Russia, its largest foreign trade partners are the Netherlands, China and Germany. None of the countries participating in the Customs Union entered the top three, Belarus is in fifth place, Kazakhstan is in 12th place.

As you can see, there is a fact that is very unpleasant for a regional association - the bilateral trading countries of the CU member states with some external trading partners are much more intense than with each other, which reduces the effectiveness of this union.

To further identify the problems of the Customs Union, we use the Trade Dependence Index (TII) - an indicator that represents the ratio of a country's foreign trade turnover to its GDP. The dynamics of this parameter will help to draw a conclusion about how much the Customs Union has increased and whether it has increased the mutual trade of the member countries.

Table 2.2.3. Trade dependence index for Russia, 2003-2013

Based on this table, we can conclude that since 2010 (the entry into force of the Unified Customs Code), Russia's indices in relation to Belarus and Kazakhstan have a tendency to increase, but very weakly expressed. Consequently, for Russia, the Customs Union did not become a turning point, radically affecting the extent of its trade with Belarus and Kazakhstan.

As for the FTI of Belarus, it can be seen from the table below that in relation to Russia, the volume of trade since 2010 has been on an upward trend. However, as far as Kazakhstan is concerned, it can be seen that during 2010 the index fell somewhat, and then the opposite trend was outlined. Based on the data, we can say that for Belarus, the Customs Union provides an opportunity to strengthen trade ties with Russia, but not with Kazakhstan.

Table 2.2.4. Trade dependency index for Belarus, 2003-2013

Regarding Kazakhstan, it can be noted that since the establishment of the Customs Union, the importance of trade with Russia and Belarus for it has increased, but not significantly. Data for Kazakhstan are shown in the table below:

Table 2.2.5. Trade dependency index for Kazakhstan, 2003-2013

Based on the foregoing, we can conclude that among the three countries participating in the Customs Union, only one state, Belarus, makes a significant contribution to strengthening bilateral ties, which is not the best indicator for an integration association.

So, based on the analysis of mutual trade between Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, which is the main indicator of the degree of integration of a group of countries, we can say that the level of trade between the member countries of the Customs Union is still low. Consequently, the Customs Union at the moment cannot be considered a fully effective tool for foreign economic policy and increasing the volume of foreign trade.

2.3 Main directions of development of the Customs Union

Speaking about the prospects and the main methods and directions used in the development of the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, it can be noted that, as mentioned above, the President and Prime Minister of Russia propose to act with an eye on the experience of the European Union. We will not question the competence of the higher officials of our country, but we note that it is not entirely correct to compare the European Union and the Customs Union. In the case of the European Union, initially there were several leading countries with approximately the same economic situation and balancing each other. In the case of the Customs Union, it is obvious that the level of economic development of Russia is much higher than those of Kazakhstan and Belarus. Therefore, it is not surprising that Russia has assumed the role of leader in the Eurasian integration association, and the Russian economy acts as the core. integration process. In this situation, it is much more correct to compare the Customs Union with NAFTA, in which three countries also participate, and the United States of America plays the role of the central economy. The main similarity, which makes it possible to compare these integration groupings, is the serious differences in the socio-economic level of development of countries.

The well-known economist J. Magione, considering the processes of European integration from a critical standpoint in his monograph, notes that significant differences in the socio-economic level of the states participating in the integration process will necessarily lead to a different arrangement of political priorities. In this case, the harmonization of national legislations is inappropriate, but on the contrary, in order to improve the welfare of the member states of the integration group, differentiation of legal norms is necessary. J. Bhagwati and R. Hudek, in one of their works on free trade and the harmonization of national laws, also argued that centralized unification in some cases can worsen socio-economic indicators. Consequently, some traditional methods of integration, which include the centralized harmonization of the legal system that has been used in Europe, are untenable within the framework of the Customs Union.

Another important principle of European integration is economic and social solidarity, which involves equalizing the level of material well-being in all member countries of the European Union. In the case of the Customs Union, the main prospects for its expansion are related to the entry into it in the future of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The standard of living of the population of these countries is much lower than in Russia, Belarus or Kazakhstan, and as for the economic situation, the size of the economies of these states is not comparable with the economies of Kazakhstan and Belarus, not to mention Russia. Based on this, we again have the inapplicability of developing the integration of the Customs Union following the example of the European Union.

If we talk about the accession of new states to the number of members of the Customs Union, first of all it is worth mentioning Kyrgyzstan. Negotiations between Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan with this country on joining the Customs Union have been going on since 2011, but from time to time they mark time for quite long periods of time. The main reason for such downtime is the so-called "road map" - a list of conditions that Kyrgyzstan insists on when joining the CU. The fact is that many representatives of the business community are afraid for some sectors of the country, which can be brought to bankruptcy. Among them is the re-export of Chinese goods. It is no secret that customs rates on many Chinese goods in Kyrgyzstan are zero or close to zero, which has allowed local entrepreneurs to create huge clothing markets, which are often visited by wholesalers from neighboring countries, including Kazakhstan and Russia. Several hundred thousand people work in such markets, and the loss of their jobs if the country joins the Customs Union also threatens with social unrest. That is why the government of Kyrgyzstan is asking to give the country's largest markets the status of free trade zones, provide temporary benefits for many commodity items, and also sign an agreement on the unimpeded movement of migrant workers within the Customs Union, which it considers as a "safety cushion" for the country. These conditions were recognized by the members of the Customs Union, especially Kazakhstan, as unacceptable, which even led to a temporary suspension of the integration process by Kyrgyzstan in December 2013. However, in March 2014, the first vice prime minister of Kyrgyzstan, Joormat Otorbaev, said that the road map had been amended, and that the country could join the Customs Union as early as this year. Whether this will be the case or not, time will tell.

As for Tajikistan, which is also considered one of the contenders for integration with the CU countries, then, despite the statements of President Emomali Rahmon about the seriousness of the intentions to enter into the Customs Union in 2010, negotiations have not yet begun. The country's government wants to make sure that this step is expedient, first of all, by evaluating the result of Kyrgyzstan's entry into the Customs Union. The geographical factor also plays a role here - Tajikistan does not have common borders with Russia, Belarus or Kazakhstan, but it borders on Kyrgyzstan. If Kyrgyzstan joins the Customs Union, the next contender will be Tajikistan, which was confirmed by Russian President V.V. Putin.

The political confrontation between Russia and the United States of America in some issues also plays a role in the possible accession of countries to the Customs Union. Thus, in October 2013, the Syrian government expressed its desire to join the Customs Union. According to Deputy Prime Minister Kadri Jamil, all the necessary documents have already been prepared, and negotiations with Russian partners have already been completed. At the moment, negotiations are underway with the parties of Belarus and Kazakhstan. Complicating the situation, as in the case of Tajikistan, is a geographical problem - Syria does not have common borders with any of the countries participating in the Customs Union.

A counterexample is the situation with Ukraine, in which the issue of integration with one of the associations - the Customs Union or the European Union - was acute. Despite the huge number of foreign trade operations with the CIS countries, in 2013 Ukraine refused to join the Customs Union, in turn, Russia considered Ukraine’s proposal for cooperation on the “3 + 1” type unacceptable, refusing selective benefits when trading with the union. In connection with the coup d'etat in Kyiv and the coming to power of a government aimed at integrating with Western countries, now the chance of the country joining the Customs Union can be considered almost zero. However, the situation in Ukraine is changing daily, and given the different moods of the eastern and western regions of the country, it is now very difficult to predict its decision on the further issue of integration.

In conclusion, I would like to note that in the development of the Customs Union it is extremely important to take into account all external players in the region. This confirms the thesis that Russia's accession to the WTO is a key factor in the process of Eurasian integration, since it will contribute to a more competent resolution of all issues arising in trade relations between Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. According to Russia's obligations to the WTO, the members of the union must follow the rules of the global regulator of international trade. Also, the positive effect of Russia's accession to the WTO will manifest itself in increasing the compatibility of trade and economic relations in the post-Soviet space. Thus, it is completely unacceptable to consider scenarios for the development of the Customs Union without its accession to the WTO in the foreseeable future.

CONCLUSION

Only four years have passed since the entry into force of the Unified Customs Code and the transfer of the customs borders of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan to the external border of the Customs Union. Only two years ago, the transition to the Common Economic Space was made. Of course, for such short term time, the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, even under the most favorable conditions, could not achieve a level of integration similar to the level of the European Union or NAFTA. At the moment, the gradual economic integration of the countries of the post-Soviet space is going quite steadily, but tangible results take time. It is also necessary to remember that in the matter of the Customs Union, many, especially citizens of Belarus and Kazakhstan, are worried about the possible political background, the so-called return to the times of the USSR with Russia as the dominant state. That is why it is worth once again raising the issue of building the integration of the Customs Union, based on the experience of the NAFTA union, which has never pursued the goals of creating supranational bodies and developing new legislation, unlike the European Union. NAFTA's full compliance with the WTO rules in the field of capital regulation makes it possible to use it as a model for investment agreements within the Eurasian Economic Space.

Let us now draw some conclusions. To achieve maximum effects in regional integration, the Customs Union must satisfy at least three conditions: maintaining a high share of intra-regional trade in the total volume of foreign trade, that is, maintaining a high trade turnover between the participating countries; creation of deep industrial and technological cooperation between the participating countries; conducting a competent policy that takes into account the difference in the levels of socio-economic development of the participating countries.

Also, one should not forget about the significant differences between European and Eurasian integration, including:

1. different levels of intra-regional trade (the share of trade between EU member states in the total volume of foreign trade is many times higher than that in the Customs Union);
2. the absence of the so-called “core” in the European Union, the engines there are several countries balancing each other, when Russia is the main country in the Customs Union;
3. the small difference in the levels of economic development of the countries of the European Union is also not applicable to the Customs Union, where economic differences between countries are much higher;
4. the driving force behind the Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus should be the economic benefit for these states, at this stage it is unacceptable to turn the economic union into a geopolitical one.

If the aforementioned differences are neglected and the development of the Customs Union is completely set at the rate of the European Union, it may lead to a situation where Russia simply becomes a donor state in a regional association.

As for the progress of the Customs Union in terms of joining new members, it can be assumed that over time, all the developing states of the post-Soviet space that are not part of another regional association will join the Common Economic Space. At the moment, states such as Tajikistan, Armenia and Syria are planning to apply to join the Customs Union. Questions about whether or not to join the Customs Union arise only for those states that have the option of joining another regional grouping, like Ukraine, which plans to join the European Union, or Kyrgyzstan, which has long thought about what would be more favorable for of the country's economy - integration into the Common Economic Space, or the preservation of customs privileges for the import of products from China.

Summing up, we can say that in the development of the Customs Union it is necessary to use a combined approach in borrowing the experience of Western regional groupings. Wherein prerequisite should be the adherence of all member countries to the norms and rules of the WTO in all economic relations in the field of trade in goods and services both within the Common Economic Space and beyond.