Russia is interested in reducing trade barriers in the CIS and considers barrier-free trade to be an important area of joint work with partners in the Commonwealth. Dmitry Volvach, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of Russia, stated this in a video message to the participants of the section "The role of technical regulation and standardization in CIS integration processes", which took place within the framework of the International Economic Forum of the CIS member States on March 29, 2024 in Moscow.
According to him, a draft agreement on the elimination of technical barriers in mutual trade of the CIS member states is currently being developed at the Commonwealth's site. The document will eliminate barriers to mutual trade and ensure the free movement of products in the Commonwealth through the conclusion of international agreements.
The Deputy Minister recalled that the CIS countries, including Russia, which are members of the Eurasian Economic Union, work within a single space. A product with a conformity assessment document obtained in any of the EAEU states is freely traded on the territory of all member states of the Union. The level of such integration was achieved through the unification of product requirements, the approval of uniform technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures.
According to him, the technical regulation of the EAEU countries is largely based on a single "base" of interstate standards that has been formed between the CIS countries. In the future, the similarity of the regulatory systems of the two leading integration associations should be taken into account in the joint development of technical regulation systems and the elimination of technical barriers to trade.
"That is why it is fundamentally important to develop an agreement on the elimination of technical barriers in mutual trade of the CIS countries, taking into account two international treaties of the EAEU, which regulate two "basic" mechanisms for eliminating technical barriers: the practice of applying technical regulations of the EAEU by CIS countries and the conclusion of international agreements in the 5+1 format (EAEU + third party)," he noted Dmitry Volvach. – It is necessary to synchronize the projected legal regime of the CIS countries with the existing EAEU documents in the field of technical regulation."
The Deputy Minister paid special attention to standardization, one of the key elements of technical regulation, which in a market economy can make a significant contribution to international economic growth and the practice of eliminating technical barriers to mutual trade. Standardization, according to him, is a key factor in supporting a number of areas of government policy – competition, government supplies, innovation, removing trade barriers, expanding trade, protecting the environment and consumer interests.
"Issues of technical regulation and standardization have been and remain one of the priority areas of cooperation on the CIS platform,– Dmitry Volvach summed up. "I am confident that in 2024, which is the year of Russia's chairmanship in the CIS bodies, all the planned tasks and goals will strengthen the foundations for the development of mutually beneficial cooperation in the Commonwealth space."
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