Measures to protect the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU)’s market will be devised by after the establishment of a free trade zone by Ukraine and the European Union, Alyaksandr Lukashenka said during a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council on Monday.
All EAEU members and not Russia are concerned about the planned enactment of the free trade agreement on January 1, 2016, he was quoted as saying by the Belarusian government’s news agency BelTA.
According to Russian Economic Development Minister Aleksei Ulyukayev, Russia`s demands were ignored during talks about the consequences of the removal of trade barriers between Ukraine and the EU.
“There’re fears that there will be no more conversations before January 1,” Mr. Lukashenka said. “That is why we may find ourselves in a situation where goods from Ukraine will be replaced with goods from the European Union, and their goods will come flooding into our territory.”
He warned that cheap EU-made goods might spread throughout the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) because of the free trade regime among its members. Russia has already taken measures to protect its market, Mr. Lukashenka said. According to him, the EAEU members have agreed to discuss possible protective measures within the first quarter of 2016. By the end of the first six months, an electronic system for declaring incoming goods will be introduced within the EAEU, he said, adding that a similar system was used by Belarus and Russia.
