Chairman of the EEC Board Tigran Sargsyan: “At the beginning of 2017, the EAEU recorded significant economic growth in all five countries
The state of the economies of the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the main areas of activity of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) and the opportunities for business participation in it were discussed at a meeting of members of the General and Regional Councils of “Business Russia” with the Chairman of the EEC Board Tigran Sargsyan on Ma
y 25. As Tigran noted Sargsyan, at the beginning of 2017, the EAEU recorded economic growth for the first time since 2014 in all five countries. The volume of foreign trade of the Union states in January – March 2017 increased by 29.6% compared to the same period last year. The growth in mutual trade was 31.1%. “The number of companies with investments from EAEU partner countries is increasing,” stressed the Chairman of the EEC Board. – The real sector of the economy is growing, the volume of cargo and passenger traffic. The Commission’s forecast until 2019 is stable and favor
able. ”In 2016-2017 alone, the EAEU countries agreed to remove 60 obstacles in the domestic market. Fundamental agreements have been reached in the areas of electricity, oil, gas and transport. Joint projects are emerging in the fields of space, machine tool building, agriculture, and new technologies. A common market for medicines and medical devices was launched. The customs legislation has been reformed, a project for the traceability of goods is being worked out, and their labeling is being introduced. The international agenda is being actively promoted. The deputy prime ministers control the digital agenda of the Union. All of this has a positive effect on the business climate.
Tigran Sargsyan informed entrepreneurs about the formats of the Commission’s interaction with the business community. The EAEU Business Council operates, which includes business associations of all participating countries. Its task is to form a consolidated position on draft union decisions and put forward initiatives. Another format of interaction between the EEC and business is advisory committees and working groups, where draft documents are developed.
The Commission ensures public discussion of draft decisions, in which any representative of the business community of the Union countries can take part. In 2016, about 80% of the total number of comments and suggestions received were taken into account.
Entrepreneurs can declare an obstacle in the internal market of the EAEU and follow the work on its elimination on a special website of the EEC.
“Eliminating barriers, reducing exemptions and restrictions is the key direction of the EEC’s activities,” Tigran Sargsyan stressed. – In 2016 alone, at least 30% of all decisions adopted by the Union’s bodies are aimed at eliminating obstacles and improving the functioning of the Union’s internal market. To date, 185 different obstacles have been identified, and the countries have agreed that they will eliminate a third of them in the near future. ”
The Chairman of the EEC Board called the implementation of the digital agenda one of the priority areas of the Commission’s activities. “Life is changing rapidly and it is obviously impossible to form modern common markets without digitization,” stressed Tigran Sargsyan. – In December last year, a statement was made by the presidents that we must form a common digital agenda for the EAEU. High-level working group established. We must, by November this year, present to the heads of government a program for the digital transformation of the Union. And here we are also ready for a dialogue with business, because our main approach is to build an agenda based on public-private partnerships. “
Source: http://www.eurasiancommission.org