The Eurasian Union members´ classification

The Eurasian Economic Union and European Union have been ensuring free movement of goods, services, capital and labor as their core principles[1] that necessary for achieving economic and social goals in either Union. In contrary to the EU-28, the EUEA - Eurasian Economic Union, which has come a long way building a customs union and a common economic space, and consolidating its members into a union state, today includes three member states – Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. The EaEU creates an economic market of 170 million people over 20 million sq. km, and GDP of 3 trillion U.S. dollars.[2] The EU generates an economic market of 505,73  million people over 4,3 million sq. km, and GDP of  17.358 trillion US. dollars.[3]

 

The leaders of Eurasian integration already mentioned that Eurasian integration today does not have “plenitude of time” ahead, due to that fact is vitally important studying the European Union’s experience, trials and errors, and its positive practices… Moreover “on the path to European integration, it took 11 years to create a customs union, 34 years to form a common market, and 40 years – to form an economic and currency union”… the Eurasian Union has “a different historical background, a different system of risks and challenges”[4], and a lack of time...

 

The idea of EAEU including Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, first articulated in 2000 by President Nazarbaev. On May 29, 2014 the leaders of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan signed the Agreement on Eurasian Economic Union, which would become effective on January 1, 2015. The post-Soviet nations involved in the process of the Eurasian integration can be roughly divided into three groups. The first group includes nations who are members of the EAEU – Russia, Kazakhstan, Belorussia - and those who stand a good chance to join the organization:  Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Both countries are already working to implement their road maps for joining the Customs Union. Henceforth is also Armenia a very essential issue. Armenia and Azerbaijan, whose views on Nagorno-Karabakh differ, reserve for Armenia the right to join the EAEU on the same basis as joining the WTO – “within the borders recognized by the UN”. However, Armenia will sign the EAEU-Agreement in July 3, 2014.The EUAU´s triangle will become a square of four states based on common economic benefits.

 

The second group consists of states interested in certain aspects of the Eurasian integration, although some dominant players inside and outside these countries perceive membership in the EAEU as dangerous for their nations. Uzbekistan regards membership in the EAEU as “the loss of sovereignty”, doubting that it is possible to “have political sovereignty without economic independence”^[5]. We also put into this category Moldova, which already signed the associated EU-Agreement, although Transnistria still proceed its own interest in Eurasian integration.

 

The third group is comprised of countries which presently display no interest to the Eurasian integration – Georgia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine. So nowadays, we can speak only about the EAEU – 3 or the EUEU 4+2 (Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia + Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan).

 

Such a classification gives a clear view on the potential of the Eurasian integration. Motives behind Eurasian integration or disintegration among post-soviet states have more political and less economic background as it was on European Union´ context. As a result, man should not expect the growth of the economic potential is a main priority of the Eurasian integration´s processes.