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07 May 2025 EAEU re-grants Jordan, Lebanon and Samoa status of countries using unified system of tariff preferences The Eurasian Economic Commission's Council amended the lists of developing and least developed countries using the unified system of tariff preferences of the Eurasian Economic Union. Namely, the Council updated the list of States to which the EAEU unilaterally grants tariff preferences in the form of reduced or zeroed out import customs duty rates on a number of goods. The adopted decision is based on the analysis of changes in economic indicators and includes Jordan, Lebanon and Samoa in the category of developing countries using the EAEU unified system of tariff preferences (until 2021 they already had been beneficiaries of the Union's system). In addition, in the light of the World Bank's updated country income classifications, it was decided to exclude the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Republic of El Salvador from the system and to revise the preferential status of the Kingdom of Bhutan and the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe from least developed to developing. "Today's decision is a continuation of the EEC's consistent work to administer the Union's unified system of tariff preferences and will contribute enabling economic growth of developing and least developed countries, as well as further increase trade of the EAEU Member States with them," mentioned Andrey Slepnev, Minister in charge of Trade of the Eurasian Economic Commission. In accordance with the Decision of the EEC Council, appropriate transition periods are provided to adapt economic operators to the changing conditions of foreign trade activities. The EAEU unified system of tariff preferences is aimed at facilitating economic growth of least developed and developing countries. The regulation on the conditions and procedure for its application was approved by Decision No. 47 of the Eurasian Economic Commission's Council dated April 6, 2016. The lists of countries using the EAEU unified system of tariff preferences were approved by Decision No. 130 of the Customs Union's Commission dated November 27, 2009. The list of goods originating from developing or least developed countries, in respect of which tariff preferences are granted upon importation into the EAEU customs territory, was approved by Decision No. 8 of the Eurasian Economic Commission's Council dated January 13, 2017.
29 Apr 2025 Six BRICS countries entered third Green Eurasia Climate Competition April 30 is the last day of accepting entries for the third international Green Eurasia climate competition organized by the Eurasian Economic Commission and the Agency for Strategic Initiatives to Promote New Projects. To date, documents have been received from all five countries of the Eurasian Economic Union, as well as from such key EAEU trading partners as China, India, Iran and Uzbekistan. In addition, entries were submitted by representatives of South Africa, Ethiopia, Bulgaria, Moldova, Tajikistan and Senegal, significantly expanding the geography of the competition. "I would also like to point out the qualitative improvement in the entries coming in this year. It will not be easy for the experts and the competition board to choose the best: almost all projects look worthy to qualify for the highest places and to be scaled up globally," mentioned Andrey Slepnev, the EEC Minister in charge of Trade. The award ceremony for the winners and runners-up, as well as presentations of their projects, will be held as part of the Eurasian Economic Forum in Minsk, timed to coincide with the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council meeting.
24 Apr 2025 Elmira Syzdykova Appointed Deputy Director of EEC Internal Market Protection Department Elmira Syzdykova was born in 1991. In 2014, she graduated from M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University with a Bachelor's degree and in 2016, with a Master's degree in Economics. Prior to joining the Eurasian Economic Commission, she worked in various positions in the Foreign Trade Department, Ministry of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan. She is a holder of medals "For Contribution to the Development of the Eurasian Economic Union" (2022) and "10 Years of the Eurasian Economic Union" (2024). On April 22, 2025, she was appointed Deputy Director of the EEC Internal Market Protection Department.
23 Apr 2025 EEC Held Seminar on Developing Industrial and Agricultural Cooperation with Iran On April 23, the Eurasian Economic Commission hosted a seminar co-chaired by Andrey Slepnev, EEC Minister in charge of Trade, and Gohar Barseghyan, EEC Minister in charge of Industry and Agriculture, and dedicated to the prospects of cooperation with Iran in the field of industry and agriculture, including business participation in special economic zones in the EAEU and Iran. The event was organized in anticipation of the entry into force of the full-scale Free Trade Agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union and the Islamic Republic of Iran. "Such seminars represent an effective platform where there is a possibility to discuss both problematic issues and those areas that could become a new point of growth in the development of our trade and economic relations," said Andrey Slepnev. He emphasized that once the Agreement comes into force on May 15 this year, companies from the EAEU countries will have unique conditions of access to the Iranian market and expressed hope that the parties will take full advantage of the emerging prospects, including in terms of establishing industrial cooperation. The agreement, in particular, provides for the creation of a number of dialogue instruments through which the business circles of the EAEU and Iran will be able to discuss various cooperation areas of mutual interest. "Within sectoral cooperation, we see significant potential in the interaction of industrial and agricultural enterprises, the development of scientific research, technology and innovation, and the expansion of cooperative ties. The EAEU states have great economic potential, while the availability of resources and joint actions open up possibilities to boost the mutual trade turnover of the Member States with Iran, increase the volume of competitive industrial output and develop exports of high-tech products," Gohar Barseghyan noted. The most promising areas of interaction with Iranian partners in the field of industry and agriculture are planned to be included in the draft Joint Action Plan (Road Map) on trade and economic cooperation between the EAEU, its Member States and Iran, which is aimed at implementing the provisions of the Agreement. The seminar was attended by representatives of government agencies, business associations and companies of the EAEU countries representing various industries and branches of agriculture and interested in developing cooperation with Iranian partners and entering the Iranian market.
22 Apr 2025 Andrey Slepnev Discussed EAEU-Iran Trade Facilitation with Mir Business Bank Management and Russian-Iranian Business Council The Eurasian Economic Commission hosted a working meeting between Andrey Slepnev, EEC Minister in charge of Trade, Mohammad Esmail Hazzar, CEO of Mir Business Bank JSC, and representatives of the Russian-Iranian Business Council. "The Member States of the Eurasian Economic Union and our entrepreneurs have a great interest in using the instruments of the full-fledged Free Trade Agreement with Iran, which comes into force on May 15, to work in the Iranian market," said Andrey Slepnev. At the same time, he said, there are many specific trade facilitation initiatives that businesses are putting forward, including those related to removing certain barriers in Iran, such as border crossing and infrastructure restrictions. At the same time, one of the topics raised by almost all EAEU companies is the problem of mutual settlements. As the Commission, jointly with the Union countries, is now preparing for the entry into force of the new Agreement, it was proposed to exchange views on relevant matters. After elaboration of the proposals made, they may be included in the draft Joint Action Plan (Road Map) on Trade and Economic Cooperation between the EAEU, its Member States and Iran aimed at implementing the provisions of the Agreement.
11 Apr 2025 EEC held seminar on developing cooperation on technical regulation with Iran The Eurasian Economic Commission held a seminar under the chairmanship of Andrey Slepnev, EEC Minister in charge of Trade, and Valentin Tataritsky, EEC Minister in charge Technical Regulation, on the prospects of cooperation with Iran in the field of technical regulation, turnover of medicines and medical products. The meeting was held ahead of the enactment of the Free Trade Agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union and the Islamic Republic of Iran on May 15 this year. The seminar was attended by representatives of government agencies, business associations and companies of the EAEU countries interested in developing cooperation with Iranian partners and entering the Iranian market. "The Iranian party expressed interest in the convergence of regulatory approaches to clinical trials and registration of pharmaceutical products. For our part, we see the interest of the business community in the Iranian party eliminating technical barriers to the access of wheeled vehicles, as well as medical equipment," mentioned Andrey Slepnev. According to him, the improved regulatory part of the Agreement regarding technical barriers to trade fully complies with the rules of the World Trade Organization, which is especially important given that Iran is not a member of this international organization. "The most practice-oriented mechanism for settling the problems of product access to the Iranian market for our entities appears to be the working group on technical barriers to trade. The Agreement provides for the establishment of such a thematic group. The working group can consider specific export cases of our organizations related to technical requirements in Iran or conformity assessment procedures and try to reach some selective agreements," noted Valentin Tataritsky. He proposed that the full range of possibilities available to address technical barriers to trade should be considered, including bilateral agreements of the Union States with Iran. The most promising areas of interaction with Iranian partners in the field of technical regulation are planned to be included in the draft Joint Action Plan (Road Map) on trade and economic cooperation between the EAEU, its Member States and Iran, which is currently under development and is aimed at implementing the provisions of the Agreement.
10 Apr 2025 Commission Discussed Access of EAEU Agricultural and Food Products to Iranian Market At the Eurasian Economic Commission Vladimir Serpikov, Director of the EEC Trade Policy Department, and Vladimir Sinkevich, Director of the EEC Department for Sanitary, Phytosanitary and Veterinary Measures, led a discussion with representatives of government agencies, business associations and businesses on the access of agricultural produce from the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union to the Iranian market. The meeting was held ahead of the entry into force on May 15 this year of the Free Trade Agreement between the EAEU and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The preferential coverage of the Agreement is 67% of the agricultural commodity nomenclature, which accounts for 98% of EAEU agricultural exports to Iran. The liberalized trade regime will significantly reduce the level of tariff protection of the Iranian party: Iran's average MFN rate for all agricultural commodity nomenclature will fall from 30% to 14%. "The agreement creates unique tariff conditions for EAEU businesses to access the Iranian market, including in terms of food products. In this regard, it is necessary to identify the barriers and problematic issues that we should above all pay attention to while developing cooperation with Iran in this area," said Vladimir Serpikov. He also reminded that the Agreement simultaneously improves the regulatory part concerning the application of sanitary, veterinary and phytosanitary quarantine measures, which can have a significant impact on mutual trade. "The EAEU has established a regulatory and legal framework in the field of SPS measures, which sets requirements to safety, including with regard to food products, for import procedures and product movement across the territory of the Union. When complying with the EAEU law in these areas, products of third countries, including Iran, can enter the market of the EAEU Member States," shared Vladimir Sinkevich. Access of agricultural produce, including the application of sanitary and phytosanitary measures, is proposed to be discussed with the Iranian party during the first meeting of the Joint Committee for Implementing the Agreement, scheduled for the second half of 2025. In addition, the most promising areas of interaction with Iranian partners in this field are planned to be included in the draft Joint Action Plan (Road Map) on trade and economic cooperation between the EAEU, its Member States and Iran, aimed at implementing the provisions of the Agreement.
26 Mar 2025 EEC held a seminar on developing transport and logistics cooperation with Iran On March 26, the Eurasian Economic Commission hosted a seminar on the prospects of cooperation with Iran in the field of transport and logistics, chaired by Andrey Slepnev, EEC Minister in charge of Trade, and Arzybek Kozhoshev, EEC Minister in charge of Energy and Infrastructure. The event was held ahead of the entry into force on May 15 this year of the Free Trade Agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The seminar was attended by representatives of public authorities, as well as business associations and transportation companies of the EAEU countries, which already operate in the Iranian market or are just working out the logistics for making deliveries to Iran. "The EAEU is interested in deploying full-scale cooperation with Iran within the framework of implementing the Agreement, including in the field of transport. Our partners are ready to address the possibilities of cooperation within the framework of the North–South ITC, increasing maritime transportation on the Caspian Sea, participation in the Eurasian Agroexpress project," emphasized Andrey Slepnev. According to him, the purpose of the seminar is, among other things, to receive proposals from business and government agencies in order to supplement the agenda of interaction with Iran as part of implementing the Free Trade Agreement with concrete practical measures. "The need to build supply chains in the direction of Iran, as well as the development of infrastructure for access to the region of the Caspian Sea basin, the Persian Gulf, Central Asia, Africa, India is of particular importance in the context of global changes and building new transportation and logistics routes," mentioned Arzybek Kozhoshev. The most promising initiatives are proposed to be discussed with the Iranian party during the first meeting of the joint committee on implementing the Agreement, scheduled to be held in the second half of 2025.
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