First documents on formation of Unified Economic Space to be ready by January
MOSCOW. March 31 (Interfax) - The first set of documents concerning formation of the Unified Economic Space (EEP) encompassing Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan will be drafted by January 1, 2011, Economic Development Minister Elvira Nabiullina said on Wednesday at a conference of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.
"The first set of documents concerning the EEP will be ready by January 1, 2011, and they will begin coming into force starting in the middle of 2011," Nabiullina said. The Russian government has the task of harmonizing the legislation concerning the main aspects of economic activity. Work is currently underway on the draft agreements that will reflect Russia's position, she said.
The preparation of the first set of documents will require the parties to agree unified approaches on state purchasing, subsidizing agriculture and technical regulation, the head of the ministry's department for regulating foreign economic activity, Alexei Likhachev, said at the conference.
The ministry is currently drawing up the agreement on harmonizing the operation of special economic zones. "The operating regime for the special zones in Belarus and Kazakhstan is much more liberal than in Russia," Likhachev said.
In addition, the draft law on customs regulation in Russia submitted by the Federal Customs Service requires a considerable amount of additional work, he said. The Customs Union will have to focus some attention on carrying out antidumping research, with the authority for the research possibly transferred to the national level.