BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr.10
By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:
The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) needs to reconsider approaches to regional trade, taking into account priority of goods and services created within the framework of the union, Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Askar Mamin said, Trend reports with reference to the press office of the prime minister.
Mamin made the statement during a video conference meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council.
During the meeting, Mamin talked measures taken by Kazakhstan to combat the spread of COVID-19, stabilize the economy and support the population and business.
Mamin emphasized the need for further anti-crisis measures not only at the level of national economies, but also within the framework of the entire EAEU, the need to enhance the self-sufficiency of EAEU through full food self-sufficiency and import substitution of agricultural products and essential goods.
He pointed out the importance of regionalizing production processes on the basis of existing and potential competitive advantages of the economies of the EAEU member states, developing joint approaches to attract production assets, forming links with new sales markets, and actively forming favorable conditions for the dynamic development of digital technologies and artificial intelligence.
“The long-term stability of the EAEU is directly dependent on the stability of trade processes. In this regard, we need to reconsider approaches to regional trade, taking into account the priority of goods and services created within the framework of the union,” Mamin said.
Mamin emphasized the need to strengthen joint work to systematize and subsequently remove all existing barriers to mutual trade.
The meeting participants reviewed the progress in preparing the draft Strategic Directions for the Development of Eurasian Economic Integration until 2025, improving the mechanisms for applying special protective, anti-dumping and countervailing measures, the development of electronic commerce, accelerated integration of national information systems and other issues.
The parties agreed to simplify the procedure for exporting perishable products from Kazakhstan to the territory of the EAEU member states by introducing a system of certificate of origin for serial production.
This measure will minimize the time and material costs of obtaining documents confirming the origin of Kazakhstani goods. A certificate of products’ origin may be issued once in respect of homogeneous, mass-produced products for a period of six months.
As a result of meeting, a number of decisions were made and documents were adopted including those covering the EAEU measures to ensure economic stability in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In particular, the document provides for increased interaction between the authorized bodies in the field of sanitary and epidemiological welfare of the population, creation of a green corridor for the import of socially important goods by temporarily zeroing import customs duties and simplifying customs procedures. It also oversees introducing time restrictions on the export of critical goods to third countries, promotion of digitalization of trade and cashless payments, joint activities to create antiviral drugs and vaccines, organize their mass production and other measures.
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