On June 10, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, signed the law ratifying the Agreement on the Unified Customs Transit System of the Eurasian Economic Union and Third Parties, marking the final stage of domestic procedures. The document had previously been ratified by the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, the Kyrgyz Republic and the Russian Federation.

Ahead of the Agreement’s entry into force, the Eurasian Economic Commission hosted a meeting of the High-Level Working Group chaired by Sergey Shklyaev, the EEC Minister in charge of Customs Cooperation, to discuss the use of navigation seals in freight transportation across the EAEU. The meeting brought together representatives of public authorities and national cargo-tracking operators from the Eurasian Economic Union countries.

Participants reviewed cases where customs transit of goods may be carried out without the use of such seals, taking into account established national practices. Exemptions are required for cargoes whose transportation objectively does not require this level of control and where the risks of violations are minimal, including live animals, international postal items and goods for personal use.

The meeting also addressed technical requirements for the devices themselves, including a transition to navigation seals manufactured in the EAEU Member States.