Eurasian Union
Encyclopedia
The Eurasian Union or EAU is a proposal for economic cooperation between Belarus
, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan
, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan
and other Eurasia
n countries, in particular the post-Soviet states
.
The idea, based on the European Union
's integration, was brought to attention in October 2011 by the Prime Minister of Russia
, Vladimir Putin
, but was first proposed as a concept by the President of Kazakhstan
, Nursultan Nazarbayev
, during a 1994 speech at a Moscow university. On 18 November 2011, the presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia signed an agreement, setting a target of establishing the Eurasian Union by 2015. The agreement included the roadmap for the future integration and established the Eurasian Commission (modelled on the European Commission
) and the Eurasian Economic Space, which both will start work on 1 January 2012.
: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. According to The New York Times, several candidates in Kyrgyzstan
's 2011 presidential election have endorsed the concept. Tajikistan
's government said they were considering the possibility of membership.
At a roundtable in Moscow organised by the ruling United Russia
party, Russian political scientist Dmitry Orlov
stated that apart from post-Soviet states, membership to the Eurasian Union could be expanded to include other countries that have been historically or culturally close, such as Finland
, Hungary
, the Czech Republic
, Bulgaria
and Mongolia
, incorporating them into a common state body where Russian would be the common language of communication and economic cooperation. According to Vladimir Putin, the Eurasian Union would build upon the "best values of the Soviet Union
"; however, critics claim that the drive towards integration aims to restore the Soviet empire
.
has already brought partial economic unity between the three states, and the Eurasian Union is said to be a continuation of this customs union
. A number of other regional organizations also provide the basis for further integration: the Union State of Russia and Belarus, the Eurasian Economic Community
of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, the Collective Security Treaty Organisation
, consisting of Armenia
, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
, and the Commonwealth of Independent States
comprising most of the post-Soviet countries.
of Russia, Nursultan Nazarbayev
of Kazakhstan, and Alexander Lukashenko
of Belarus established the Eurasian Economic Commission, the supranational governing body of the Eurasian Economic Space, which will start work on 1 January 2012. The Commission is modelled on the European Commission
. The headquarters of the commission will be in Moscow, and the expenses of the infrastructure and accommodation of commission workers will be financed by Russia, while in general the commission budget will be financed by all three countries and dependent on taxation shares received from the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia
.
The commission will be headed by the Council, composed of three Vice Premiers from the Government of Belarus
, the Government of Kazakhstan
and the Government of Russia
, and each country will provide three more representatives who will carry out the operational management and oversee the everyday work of the organization. All these top members will receive the status of federal ministers in their respective countries. The commission will consist of a number of departments, and its lower rank staff will be composed of 84% Russian officials, 10% Kazakhstani, and 6% Belarusians, proportional to the populations of the member states. A Russian candidate for the place in the commission's Council is Viktor Khristenko
, the Minister of Industry and Trade (Khristenko will need to be made Vice Prime Minister in order to take the post). Kazakhstani and Belarusian candidates remain unknown.
The Eurasian Commission will be eligible to make decisions not only with regard to customs policies, but in such areas as macroeconomics
, regulation of economic competition
, energy policy
, and financial policy. The Commission will also be involved in government procurement
and labour migration
control. The agreement on the Commission contains stringent anti-corruption regulations. President Dmitry Medvedev
of Russia stated that both the positive and negative experiences of the European Union
will be taken into account and argued that the Eurasian Union will avoid the problems of economic gaps and disparity between countries, such as found in the eurozone
, since the member countries have a comparable level of economic development, as well as common history and values.
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
and other Eurasia
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
n countries, in particular the post-Soviet states
Post-Soviet states
The post-Soviet states, also commonly known as the Former Soviet Union or former Soviet republics, are the 15 independent states that split off from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in its dissolution in December 1991...
.
The idea, based on the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
's integration, was brought to attention in October 2011 by the Prime Minister of Russia
Prime Minister of Russia
The Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation The use of the term "Prime Minister" is strictly informal and is not allowed for by the Russian Constitution and other laws....
, Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
, but was first proposed as a concept by the President of Kazakhstan
President of Kazakhstan
President of Kazakhstan is the head of state, supreme commander-in-chief and holder of the highest office within the Kazakhstan. The authorities of this position are described in special section of Constitution of Kazakhstan....
, Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev has served as the President of Kazakhstan since the nation received its independence in 1991, after the fall of the Soviet Union...
, during a 1994 speech at a Moscow university. On 18 November 2011, the presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia signed an agreement, setting a target of establishing the Eurasian Union by 2015. The agreement included the roadmap for the future integration and established the Eurasian Commission (modelled on the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
) and the Eurasian Economic Space, which both will start work on 1 January 2012.
Membership
The Eurasian Union is said to be the brainchild of Vladimir Putin in the wake of his planned third term as the President of Russia. If realised, it would comprise a number of states which were part of the former Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. According to The New York Times, several candidates in Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
's 2011 presidential election have endorsed the concept. Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
's government said they were considering the possibility of membership.
At a roundtable in Moscow organised by the ruling United Russia
United Russia
United Russia is a centrist political party in Russia and the largest party in the country, currently holding 315 of the 450 seats in the State Duma. The party was founded in December 2001, through a merger of the Unity and Fatherland-All Russia parties...
party, Russian political scientist Dmitry Orlov
Dmitry Orlov
Dmitry Orlov is an engineer and a writer on subjects related to "potential economic, ecological and political decline and collapse in the United States," something he has called “permanent crisis”...
stated that apart from post-Soviet states, membership to the Eurasian Union could be expanded to include other countries that have been historically or culturally close, such as Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
and Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
, incorporating them into a common state body where Russian would be the common language of communication and economic cooperation. According to Vladimir Putin, the Eurasian Union would build upon the "best values of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
"; however, critics claim that the drive towards integration aims to restore the Soviet empire
Soviet Empire
During the Cold War, the informal term "Soviet Empire" referred to the Soviet Union's influence over a number of smaller nations who were nominally independent but subject to direct military force if they tried to leave the Soviet system; see Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and Prague Spring.Though...
.
Existing integration projects
The Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and RussiaCustoms Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia
The Customs Union between Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia came into existence on January 1, 2010. Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia are to go on with economic integration and were set to remove all customs borders between each other after July 2011....
has already brought partial economic unity between the three states, and the Eurasian Union is said to be a continuation of this customs union
Customs union
A customs union is a type of trade bloc which is composed of a free trade area with a common external tariff. The participant countries set up common external trade policy, but in some cases they use different import quotas...
. A number of other regional organizations also provide the basis for further integration: the Union State of Russia and Belarus, the Eurasian Economic Community
Eurasian Economic Community
The Eurasian Economic Community originated from the Commonwealth of Independent States customs union between Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan on 29 March 1996...
of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, the Collective Security Treaty Organisation
Collective Security Treaty Organisation
The Collective Security Treaty Organization is an intergovernmental military alliance which was signed on 15 May 1992. On 7 October 2002, the Presidents of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan signed a charter in Tashkent founding the CSTO.Nikolai Bordyuzha was appointed...
, consisting of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
, and the Commonwealth of Independent States
Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States is a regional organization whose participating countries are former Soviet Republics, formed during the breakup of the Soviet Union....
comprising most of the post-Soviet countries.
Eurasian Commission
The agreement signed by presidents Dmitry MedvedevDmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
of Russia, Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev has served as the President of Kazakhstan since the nation received its independence in 1991, after the fall of the Soviet Union...
of Kazakhstan, and Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko has been serving as the President of Belarus since 20 July 1994. Before his career as a politician, Lukashenko worked as director of a state-owned agricultural farm. Under Lukashenko's rule, Belarus has come to be viewed as a state whose conduct is out of line...
of Belarus established the Eurasian Economic Commission, the supranational governing body of the Eurasian Economic Space, which will start work on 1 January 2012. The Commission is modelled on the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
. The headquarters of the commission will be in Moscow, and the expenses of the infrastructure and accommodation of commission workers will be financed by Russia, while in general the commission budget will be financed by all three countries and dependent on taxation shares received from the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia
Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia
The Customs Union between Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia came into existence on January 1, 2010. Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia are to go on with economic integration and were set to remove all customs borders between each other after July 2011....
.
The commission will be headed by the Council, composed of three Vice Premiers from the Government of Belarus
Government of Belarus
The Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus is the executive branch of state power in Belarus, and it is appointed by the President of Belarus...
, the Government of Kazakhstan
Government of Kazakhstan
The Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan oversees a presidential republic. The President of Kazakhstan, currently Nursultan Nazarbayev, is head of state and nominates the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government...
and the Government of Russia
Government of Russia
The Government of the Russian Federation exercises executive power in the Russian Federation. The members of the government are the prime minister , the deputy prime ministers, and the federal ministers...
, and each country will provide three more representatives who will carry out the operational management and oversee the everyday work of the organization. All these top members will receive the status of federal ministers in their respective countries. The commission will consist of a number of departments, and its lower rank staff will be composed of 84% Russian officials, 10% Kazakhstani, and 6% Belarusians, proportional to the populations of the member states. A Russian candidate for the place in the commission's Council is Viktor Khristenko
Viktor Khristenko
Viktor Borisovich Khristenko is the current Russian Minister of Industry and former First Deputy Prime Minister.-Personal life:...
, the Minister of Industry and Trade (Khristenko will need to be made Vice Prime Minister in order to take the post). Kazakhstani and Belarusian candidates remain unknown.
The Eurasian Commission will be eligible to make decisions not only with regard to customs policies, but in such areas as macroeconomics
Macroeconomics
Macroeconomics is a branch of economics dealing with the performance, structure, behavior, and decision-making of the whole economy. This includes a national, regional, or global economy...
, regulation of economic competition
Competition (economics)
Competition in economics is a term that encompasses the notion of individuals and firms striving for a greater share of a market to sell or buy goods and services...
, energy policy
Energy policy
Energy policy is the manner in which a given entity has decided to address issues of energy development including energy production, distribution and consumption...
, and financial policy. The Commission will also be involved in government procurement
Government procurement
Government procurement, also called public tendering or public procurement, is the procurement of goods and services on behalf of a public authority, such as a government agency...
and labour migration
Human migration
Human migration is physical movement by humans from one area to another, sometimes over long distances or in large groups. Historically this movement was nomadic, often causing significant conflict with the indigenous population and their displacement or cultural assimilation. Only a few nomadic...
control. The agreement on the Commission contains stringent anti-corruption regulations. President Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
of Russia stated that both the positive and negative experiences of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
will be taken into account and argued that the Eurasian Union will avoid the problems of economic gaps and disparity between countries, such as found in the eurozone
Eurozone
The eurozone , officially called the euro area, is an economic and monetary union of seventeen European Union member states that have adopted the euro as their common currency and sole legal tender...
, since the member countries have a comparable level of economic development, as well as common history and values.
See also
- Eurasianism
- Eurasian Economic CommunityEurasian Economic CommunityThe Eurasian Economic Community originated from the Commonwealth of Independent States customs union between Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan on 29 March 1996...
- Union State
- Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and RussiaCustoms Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and RussiaThe Customs Union between Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia came into existence on January 1, 2010. Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia are to go on with economic integration and were set to remove all customs borders between each other after July 2011....
- Trade blocTrade blocA trade bloc is a type of intergovernmental agreement, often part of a regional intergovernmental organization, where regional barriers to trade, are reduced or eliminated among the participating states.-Description:...
- Continental unionContinental unionA continental union is an inter-governmental, supra-national, or a federation of member states located in the same continent, or close to it. Continental unions are a relatively new type of political entity in the history of human government. Throughout most of human history, political...
- Soviet UnionSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
- European Union Customs UnionEuropean Union Customs UnionThe European Union Customs Union is a customs union which consists of all the Member States of the European Union and a number of surrounding countries....
- Free trade areas in Europe