ALMATY, 6 September (BelTA) – Transformations in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) are viewed only through the prism of digitalization of the economy, Director of the Integration Development Department of the Eurasian Economic Commission Sergei Shukhno said at the Eurasian Mass Media Congress on 6 September, BelTA has learned.
The elaboration of the EAEU digital transformation program was initiated by Belarus at the start of 2018. “Transformations in the EAEU are viewed only through the prism of digitalization of the economy. The focal areas of the digital agenda have already been determined over the year,” Sergei Shukhno noted. By this time an office reporting to the Eurasian Economic Commission Chairman has been set up to manage digital projects. Three initiatives have been endorsed and launched.
He unveiled the EAEU agenda for the years to come. The organization is set to launch common markets of electric energy, oil and oil products and to enhance coordination in the key economic sectors, including manufacturing industry and agriculture. Roadmaps were passed for all the markets; these programs are being implemented now. It is important to remove barriers and restrictions in mutual trade and to prevent their re-emergence in the future.
The instruction of the heads of state to prepare a respective declaration gave a fresh impetus to discussions about Eurasian integration prospects. The instruction was given at the summit in Sochi on 14 May 2018. The work on the document is ongoing; the document is discussed in detail during expert consultations. The final conference will take place in Moscow in November, Sergei Shukhno informed. “There are proposals to strengthen the supervising function of the EAEU bodies, to set up efficient mechanisms to monitor the implementation of the decisions,” he said. Proposals to give more powers to the commission and the court of the EAEU are also being scrutinized.
The Eurasian Mass Media Congress is taking place in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on 5-8 September. The congress has gathered about 60 representatives of major mass media outlets of the Eurasian Development Bank. The plenary session focuses on the coordination of macroeconomic policies, the use of national currencies in mutual payments, investment cooperation of the EDB countries and the role of development institutions in Eurasia. A series of panel sessions will discuss the development of partnership between the Eurasian Economic Union and other integration associations, the development of the Eurasian information space and the role of the EDB as a financial mechanism of the Eurasian integration.
The Eurasian Development Bank is an international financial institution founded by Russia and Kazakhstan in January 2006 with the mission to facilitate the development of market economies, sustainable economic growth, and the expansion of mutual trade and other economic ties in its member states. The EDB's charter capital totals $7 billion. The member states of the Bank are the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, and the Republic of Tajikistan.
