The sphere of alcohol market
The
draft Agreement on regulation of the alcohol market within the framework of the
Eurasian Economic Union (hereinafter respectively – the draft Agreement, the
Union) developed by the Eurasian Economic Commission (hereinafter – the
Commission) in cooperation with the public authorities of the Union Member
States pursuant to the Decision No. 7 of the Commission Council dated January
25, 2012.
The
need to develop the draft Agreement is caused by the lack of common principles
and objectives of regulation, as well as some available barriers (their
conditions) to the mutual trade of alcoholic products produced in the Union
Member States, including:
-
discriminatory and overestimated “security payment”;
-
quantitative restrictions of the “special importers” institute in Belarus;
-
lack of unified forms of accompanying documents;
-
lack of a system of administrative cooperation, including information exchange
between the regulators of the Parties.
The
draft Agreement is aimed at removing barriers (their conditions) to the mutual
trade of alcoholic products and at the formation of the legal framework for
regulation of the alcohol market within the Union. In order to form a single
market of alcohol products without discriminatory, quantitative and investment
restrictions and exceptions in the mutual trade within the Union, the draft
Agreement provides for the establishment of following:
- shared objectives of regulation, in
particular the protection of economic interests of the Parties, life and health
of the population, as well as rights of participants of the alcohol market;
-
unified principles of regulation, including national treatment and most
favoured nation treatment for alcohol products, alcohol market participants and
their activities, inadmissibility of restrictive business practice, as well as
transparency;
-
a nominal set of regulating measures for alcohol market, including requirements
for market participants and their activities, as well as ensuring proper
monitoring and supervision of compliance with such requirements
In
addition, the draft Agreement provides for the provisions to ensure
administrative cooperation of alcohol market regulators.
Following
the adoption of the draft Agreement by the Commission together with the
competent authorities of the Parties a set of activities will be carried out on
their proposals, including:
-
approval by the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council of the list of measures
aimed at the harmonization of the legislation of the Parties;
-
approval by the Council of the Commission of the list and forms of supporting
documents for movement of alcohol products on the territory of the Union;
-
approval by the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council of the list of information
to be exchanged between the authorized authorities of the Parties;
-
development and conclusion of the Agreement on administrative cooperation.
In
2015, the draft Agreement was approved by national authorities.