On December 14, at 12:30 Moscow time (GMT+3), the Valdai Club hosted an online discussion, titled “The EAEU: What’s Next?”, following a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council.
The developments of 2020 became a challenge for the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the new board of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), which has just taken the helm. In order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in the EAEU countries, borders were closed, significant internal restrictions were introduced, which led to a decline in the economic activity of the member states.
At the same time, during the pandemic, there was a high level of coordination among the EAEU countries. Green corridors were organised for the movement of medical goods, the duty on the import of medical products and drugs necessary to fight the coronavirus was eliminated. Russian medical professionals provided assistance to the countries of the Union, and Russian non-profit organisations were engaged in the collection of humanitarian goods for shipment to the countries of the EAEU.
Despite the difficulties of the current year, in 2021 economists predict that the economies of the Union will grow by 3.2%. Against this background, there are calls to return to the topic of developing integration and searching for common answers to global challenges in the field of infrastructure, digitalisation, standards, as well as the climate agenda. What opportunities has the pandemic revealed for the EAEU? What steps can be expected in promoting integration within the EAEU? What are the main results of the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council? The participants in the discussion answered these and other questions.
Speakers:
Moderator: