MOSCOW (Alexei Vlasov for RIA Novosti) - The Interstate Council of the Eurasec and the supreme body of the Customs Union of Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus will hold meetings in Astana, Kazakhstan, on July 5.
The heads of Eurasian states plan to sign a joint statement on the enforcement of the Customs Code Treaty on July 1, 2010 and on the establishment of the joint customs territory of the Customs Union countries within the framework of the Eurasec.
The Eurasian Economic Community (Eurasec) comprises Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Its intergovernmental council doubles as the top body of the Customs Union.
The new norms regulating the movement of goods for personal use by individuals across the Customs Union border are already effective. Individuals can carry goods worth up to 1,500 euros weighing not more than 50 kg as their personal luggage. Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus have also agreed on the customs duties on cars.
This is the moment of truth for the authors of the basic documents of the new post-Soviet integration project. Long debates and discussions are over; consensus has been reached on the majority of the documents, and the Customs Union should start working to capacity after a short transition period.
Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev spoke about this at the III Astana Economic Forum on July 1-2. The sides have agreed that the potential of Europe-Asia interaction has so far not been used in full, but there is hope that the enforcement of a common document on the fundamental norms of Eurasian integration will help consolidate rival projects in the region, giving them a common ideology and development goals.
Debates on the Customs Union's influence on the economic development of Russia and its partners have been going on since January 1, 2010, when the organization acquired an official status. The Kazakh opposition claims that Russia is using the Customs Union to restore the Soviet empire. Small and midsized businesses in Kazakhstan have been badly affected by changes in duties on some goods.
There is a different set of problems with Belarus, whose leadership has launched an open and public conflict with the Kremlin, demanding that it confirm discounts on duties on petrochemicals and cars imported by individuals.
There are difficulties in Russia too, even though as the core element of the integration project, it acted as moderator in the complicated talks with Kazakhstan and Belarus.
Criticism of the Customs Union by some political forces could be explained by the insufficient depth of public debate in Kazakhstan and Belarus and lack of information about the union's operation. The authorities must explain in detail the benefits their people will enjoy after the Customs Code agreements come into force. Unfortunately, people often see the Customs Union as a bureaucratic project that will not benefit small and midsized businesses.
The media should more frequently report positive examples of the advantages of Eurasian integration. Lack of such information is a big problem, because in the next two or three years we will have to work hard to ensure failsafe operation of the trilateral integration mechanisms.
In this transition period, much will depend on professional information support and on the elite groups' attitude to the Customs Union. Unfortunately, it became clear at the previous meeting between business leaders and the customs services that the approved laws have not resolved all of the problems.
When President Nazarbayev speaks of establishing a new world order as a post-crisis goal, he is referring not only to the high-level challenges addressed by the G20, but also to the "go global act local" concept. The contours of this new world order can be already seen in Eurasia.
The leaders of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus hope that the Customs Union will boost the competitiveness of their economies. Consolidation of their potentials will create conditions for a common modernization project.
Internal contradictions and conflicts of interest should give way to a nobler goal of mutually beneficial and highly effective cooperation.
President Nazarbayev spoke about such cooperation at Moscow State University 16 years ago, but many politicians regarded his concept of practical Eurasianism with a big grain of salt.
The July 5 meetings should provide many more arguments in favor of Eurasian integration. The main thing now is to prevent individual differences from burying a good idea.
Although Belarus continues to insist on its "dissenting opinion" on a number of questions, most analysts agree that the Customs Union will become a truly trilateral organization in July 2010, opening the door to further development.
Alexei Vlasov is the director of Moscow State University's Center for the Study of Political Processes in the CIS
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.
