Procedure for accession of states to the EAEU
Article 108 of the Treaty on the EAEU determines that the Union is open for accession by any state sharing its aims and principles under conditions agreed by the Member States. Moreover, the same article determines the brief algorithm of actions to be taken by both the state planning to accede to the Union and the Union Member States.
This algorithm is more detailed in the Procedure for Admission of New Members to the Eurasian Economic Union and Termination of Membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (approved by Decision No. 25 of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council dated October 16, 2015).
According to this Procedure, the state interested in acceding to the Union shall send a relevant appeal for the attention of the Chairman of the Supreme Council. The Commission shall immediately notify about the received appeal other Union Member States that shall within 60 days send to the Commission their positions on the issue of accession by the appealing state. The Supreme Council shall make the decision on granting to the interested state the status of a candidate country for accession to the Union. A working group shall be formed on the basis of such decision.
The main objectives of this working group are:
a) studying the degree of the candidate country's preparation for assuming obligations provided for by international treaties and acts constituting the law of the Union;
b) development of draft Action Program for the Candidate Country to Accede to the Eurasian Economic Union that shall be approved by the Supreme Council;
c) monitoring of the implementation of activities provided for by the Action Program;
d) regular submission of progress reports on the implementation of the Action Program by the candidate country for the consideration of the Commission's Council and the Supreme Council;
e) development of draft international treaty on the candidate country's accession to the Union;
f) submission by Working Group Supervisor to the Commission's Board of the final progress report on the implementation of the Action Program (together with draft international treaty on the candidate country's accession to the Union) to be submitted for consideration at the sessions of the Commission's Council and the Supreme Council.
Based on the report of the working group on the full implementation of the Action Program by the candidate country and upon the availability of the approved draft international treaty on the candidate country's accession to the Union, the Supreme Council shall make the decision to sign with the candidate country the international treaty on the accession to the Union.
The candidate country shall be deemed a Union member from the date determined in the above international treaty.
It should be noted that the procedure of the admission of Armenia and Kyrgyzstan to membership of the Union was slightly different. This was due to the fact that they filed their applications before the entry into force of the Treaty on the Union and the Procedure for Admission of New Members to the Eurasian Economic Union and Termination of Membership in the Eurasian Economic Union. At that time, road maps for accession of these states were formed and coherently implemented.
Since January 1, 2016, the above algorithm has applied to all countries stating their willingness to accede to the Union.
