Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
From the transcript:
A. Overchuk: Dear colleagues, dear Alexander Nikolaevich (Shokhin), first of all, happy anniversary – 35 years is a serious age, mature, and, of course, such that we can already consider issues of the architecture of the future.
Thank you for the invitation to participate in the RSPP Integration Forum. These annual events are typically used, among other things, to review the previous year's achievements, share our perspectives on challenges, our vision of what we're doing, and explain our actions. It's also very gratifying to hear figures on how businesses perceive the Eurasian Economic Union, its work, and the expectations they have for our Eurasian integration. It's truly a pleasure.
Of course, when discussing the architecture of the future, I can't help but start by noting that the global economy is in a state of uncertainty. Countries and entrepreneurs are struggling to overcome this, and this is indeed being voiced at every forum and forum attended by high-level representatives of their countries. Indeed, there are objective reasons for what's happening; they cannot be ignored or silenced, but we are at a stage where new technologies are beginning to require new types of resources, and, accordingly, corresponding international supply chains are beginning to be built around them, and this is driving the changes we see today. This is also driving the desire of individual countries, business groups, and companies to establish control over, among other things, deposits of critical minerals and new transport and logistics routes that ensure the delivery of resources and goods necessary for the functioning of the economy, both upstream and downstream.
This is happening today because whoever succeeds in doing this will secure a leadership position in a world with a new socio-economic order, and consequently, will create better conditions for the emergence of new enterprises, new jobs, new sources of income for individuals and businesses, new sources of budget revenue, and, ultimately, a better standard of living for their own electorate. That's why we are seeing what we are seeing today.
When it comes to leadership in the world of the future, we also note that the old rules are no longer valid, as is clearly evident in the work of the WTO, which has been virtually paralyzed in recent years. We also see that during the transition phase, any methods of so-called unfair competition are permissible. We see that sanctions have begun to play a major role, as well as other tariff and non-tariff restrictions, freezing of foreign assets, detention of vessels on the high seas, which previously seemed unacceptable, and restrictions on the freedom of movement of people.
And all of this is intended to weaken competitors, devalue their assets and ease the consequences of establishing control over the relevant assets.
Naturally, in these conditions, as we've also observed in various international forums, governments and businesses are seeking greater certainty. This is also a natural reaction to the fluctuating tariff barriers we've seen since April 2025.
Everyone who, as part of globalization, was tied to the largest consumer market on the planet is now trying to find alternative distribution channels for their products. From this perspective, our country and the Eurasian Economic Union represent a major, attractive market. At the same time, we understand that this influx of imports creates obvious risks for our Russian producers, making them more vulnerable. We see this, too.
Alongside these processes, everyone is striving to find a new place for themselves in these new international supply chains, seeking new partners, and forming new cooperative ties. They are doing this with an emphasis on reducing dependence on transport and logistics, that is, trying to reduce the transport distance and thus contribute to the formation of less global, but macro-regions.
Furthermore, countries are seeking to enhance their competitiveness and that of their producers by providing them with better competitive conditions in the new global economy. This is achieved by establishing control over new sources of raw materials throughout the entire processing chain, necessitating the development of new international transport and logistics corridors, whose final destinations will be countries possessing new technologies.
A distinctive feature of the future world economy will be the concentration of final production directly in countries with technology, as technological mastery will determine the ability to achieve leadership positions. At the same time, from the perspective of returning production to so-called developed countries, the cost of human labor will be less important in the overall cost structure of manufacturing enterprises. Automation, artificial intelligence, and so on will be at work.
At the same time, in order to secure trade terms, countries are actively working to reduce tariff and non-tariff trade barriers. This is why we are currently seeing tremendous activity around the world in concluding free trade agreements. We are seeing the UK with India, India with the UAE, and the EU with MERCOSUR. Negotiations to revise the terms of the agreements between the US, Mexico, and Canada are coming this summer, and negotiations are underway between the US and the UK.
Naturally, the reduction of tariff barriers entails changes in technical regulation of standards and measurements, thereby influencing business models and investment decisions. All of this, taken together, is called new economic integration, which is actively being promoted as an alternative to the fragmentation of the global economy and unfair competition.
Agreements of this kind have the potential to transform the social and economic landscape of entire economies and states, and to alter relations between countries. We see Canada beginning to cooperate more closely with China, and this is already a very serious indicator of a change in approach. The United States is seeking complete control over energy costs for the European Union, which will allow it to tightly regulate the future development potential of this union.
We could discuss this at length and with great interest, but for us, the main question is how we respond to these challenges and create better conditions for Russian businesses that create jobs and pay taxes in Russia. This was already addressed in Bakytzhan Abdirovich's (Sagintayev) speech.
The Eurasian Economic Union is truly our primary integration association, where, in exchange for barrier-free access to our partner markets, we have ceded some of our sovereignty in matters of customs regulation, technical regulation, and foreign trade. And, first and foremost, within this Union, we are interested in creating and developing our own high-tech industries and engaging our Eurasian Economic Union partners in these processes.
We don't call this creating supply chains, but rather developing industrial cooperation within the Union. Indeed, as Bakytzhan Abdirovich (Sagintayev) just mentioned, last year we launched a supranational mechanism for financing industrial cooperation and projects involving companies from at least three Union countries. And we did specifically insist on it being three countries. This creates certain challenges in developing such investment projects, but our goal here, among other things, is to encourage business representatives from our five countries to communicate more with each other, develop communication networks, and, consequently, strengthen ties between our countries, including at the people-to-people level.
Speaking of results, decisions have already been made today to provide subsidies for five cooperation projects totaling over 2 billion rubles, meaning we're already receiving 2 billion rubles in support from the Eurasian Economic Commission's budget. These include high-tech projects related to the construction of the Moscow-St. Petersburg high-speed railway, meaning we're truly talking about the creation and development of new technologies. Or consider the joint production of municipal equipment in Kurgan with Kazakhstan and Belarus.
Indeed, we subsidize interest rates on loans issued by commercial banks. While commercial banks were previously quite skeptical when we first started talking about introducing such a mechanism, last year we decided to expand the list of banks participating in this program—meaning everyone was interested.
Implementing this approach allows us to reduce the cost of borrowed capital for Russian producers, minimize the debt burden for participants in these supply chains, and thereby increase the competitiveness of our business.
I'd like to point out that all of these projects are being approved by the Eurasian Economic Commission. The process is fairly transparent. It's still being refined, and it's still a pilot project. We encourage Russian businesses to take full advantage of this opportunity, especially now that the interest rate is so high. People are starting to get used to it; nine applications totaling 8.8 billion rubles are currently under review.
Today, we're already talking about supporting cooperative chains in the agro-industrial complex—that is, we're expanding the scope of such support. And here, first and foremost, we're talking about developing plant breeding, seed production, livestock farming, and agricultural processing—in other words, developing the infrastructure of the agro-industrial complex.
At the same time, we are working to reduce tariff barriers to ensure more favorable competitive conditions for our exporters in foreign markets. The key tool here is concluding free trade agreements, which allow us to secure better access to new markets on the one hand, and to secure a reverse flow of imports on the other, which benefits our consumers and their wallets, and also improves competition, creating competition in our domestic market and improving it. It's a reciprocal process.
Today, we have preferential agreements in place with CIS countries, including our EAEU partners, as well as with Vietnam, Serbia, and Iran. Last year, we signed three such agreements: a temporary agreement with Mongolia and the United Arab Emirates, and a full-scale agreement with Indonesia. Taking all these countries into account, 20% of Russia's trade turnover falls under preferential treatment. When all these agreements come into force, we expect Russian businesses to gain access to a market of over 700 million people. This is already a significant tool.
We're currently negotiating with India; the first stage is over, and we're quite optimistic about it. If the relevant agreement is signed with India, Russian businesses will have access to a market of 2.2 billion people. This is a very powerful tool, and we need to learn how to work with these agreements.
We are working very thoroughly, for example, with Mongolia, on plans for implementing agreements, because the agreements here are temporary, and we want to see how we can structure this work. But at the same time, we are also conducting substantive work with other countries with which we conclude such agreements, and it is producing results.
Last year, on May 15, we entered into a full-scale agreement with Iran, and according to the figures we have, trade has grown by 22%. Iran became an observer in the Eurasian Economic Union, meaning it gained access to all the information we have there and is feeling quite comfortable in this regard.
We are working to minimize the remaining barriers to our mutual trade. Therefore, in implementing the free trade agreement, feedback between us, between the Eurasian Commission and businesses, is, of course, very important – you encounter problems, barriers, and obstacles in these markets. This communication is crucial for the success of the mechanisms we are currently implementing.
In simplifying access for domestic producers to foreign markets, we are taking a systematic approach, complementing the reduction of customs tariffs with improved logistics and the reduction of non-tariff barriers. We are focusing on increasing the volume of shipments along international transport corridors by at least 1.5 times compared to 2021 levels, including by enhancing the global competitiveness of our routes.
At the national level, we are implementing comprehensive measures to develop international border crossings, seaport infrastructure, railways, and roads. This work is coordinated with our partners in the CIS and the EAEU, as well as with key external partners, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
In particular, a project is being developed to establish a continuous rail link on the western route of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) under an agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The inclusion of this short railway section, Rasht–Astara, will create a direct route between the Persian Gulf and our ports in the Baltic and North. This is crucial for creating better competitive conditions and for our businesses to access markets in the Global South.
At the same time, we are combining the development of such physical infrastructure with the digitalization of the entire transport and logistics process. For example, to simplify trade procedures and ensure favorable conditions for the transportation of goods from third countries within the EAEU, in December 2024, the heads of state signed an agreement on a unified customs transit system for the EAEU and third countries. This agreement provides for the use of a single transit declaration, navigation seals, and a single guarantee for the payment of duties for shipments within the EAEU and third countries. Importantly, this agreement is open to third countries. In this way, we are creating a unified transport and logistics platform for all participants in Greater Eurasia.
Also on February 11, together with the EAEU member states, we launched the use of electronic navigation seals. Overall, the introduction of this measure should prevent goods from entering our domestic market that shouldn't be there. In other words, it's also a measure protecting our producers.
As for eliminating tariff barriers, the EAEU also plays a leading role here, along with technical regulations. Today, they cover 85% of the products already on the market.
Standardization is the primary tool for ensuring the implementation of mandatory requirements established by EAEU technical regulations. Today, lists of standards containing over 15,000 standardization documents have been approved for the 48 EAEU technical regulations that have entered into force. These standards are aimed at implementing the EAEU technical regulations. Clearly, this harmonizes product requirements, harmonizing export and import requirements. Here, of course, we will work more actively with our partners in the CIS, and we will extend this work to the BRICS member states.
As you know, an agreement on the procedure and conditions for eliminating technical barriers to mutual trade with third countries has been in effect since 2021. This agreement also grants the EAEU the right to conclude agreements with third countries on the removal of technical barriers, defines the mechanisms for their removal, and its implementation allows the national technical regulations of any interested countries to integrate into the EAEU regulatory framework. This, in turn, creates a certain integration vector for bringing our markets closer together.
Today, we are developing approaches to concluding such agreements with state observers of the EAEU and with individual partners under the free trade agreement.
While eliminating restrictions in foreign markets, we are, of course, striving to prevent unfair competition from imports in the domestic market. And here, we are working in accordance with the decision to "whiten the economy." This is a new term, and it also has objective reasons. First and foremost, this is due to the fact that we have an open customs border with our partners in the Eurasian Economic Union, and goods are entering our market that create unfair competition for our domestic market. And here, we are committed to taking very tough measures to prevent these unfair practices.
Therefore, this year we plan to launch a system for confirming pending delivery of goods, the so-called SPOT system. I think everyone has heard of it by now. Its essence is that the importer must confirm the conclusion of a contract for the delivery of goods from an EAEU member state and issue the corresponding document in accordance with the established procedure. Upon crossing our border, the presence of this document can be verified by the relevant regulatory authorities of the Russian Federation.
To prevent the illegal import and export of goods and monitor their transit, the Federal Customs Service of Russia was ordered to strengthen controls, which are being implemented through mobile customs teams. They monitor the border as close as possible to the Russian-Belarusian and Russian-Kazakh sections of our state border. They have been operating in an enhanced mode since September of last year. I think many people have already heard about this.
I want to say right away that this isn't some temporary campaign; it's permanent, and we will continue this monitoring. Some tried to hang around at the Kazakh side of the border, waiting for the attention to wane. It won't—that's our clear position, and we will stick to it.
Naturally, with the implementation of the SPOT system, certain changes will occur, but we will not relax these controls. Inspections are carried out in collaboration with the regional offices of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Russian National Guard, the Border Service of the Federal Security Service, the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor), the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor), and the Federal Service for Transport Supervision (Rostransnadzor). In 2025, mobile teams identified more than 9,000 vehicles transporting 137,000 goods in violation of Russian legislation.
I want to emphasize that those carriers, shippers, and cargo owners who have properly completed documents, where goods subject to labeling are labeled, can safely cross our border and transport their goods to their destination. We will take the rest very seriously. As a result of this work, 3,967 administrative offenses have already been initiated, including 153 criminal cases.
Another important area for protecting domestic manufacturers, as business representatives discussed last year right here on this platform, is the fight against "gray certificates." These are conformity assessment documents confirming the safety of products issued without actual testing.
What did we see? We saw that when we began strengthening our own control measures, there was a certain spillover of corresponding decisions from our partners in the Eurasian Economic Union. This means that products entering our market based on such documents not only create unfair competition for Russian manufacturers but also pose a danger to consumers. Therefore, we also made a number of significant decisions in 2025, including a government decree, aimed specifically at stopping such practices.
To protect the domestic market from counterfeiting, at the end of 2025, state control bodies and Rosaccreditation received the authority to suspend certificates and declarations issued in EAEU countries. This work has already begun and is underway.
I would particularly like to emphasize that the adoption of measures regarding conformity assessment documents issued in EAEU member states, as well as the application of customs control measures, does not have a negative impact on business in general and is aimed at eliminating unfair competition, preventing unsafe products from entering our market, and protecting our entrepreneurs. At the same time, we remain open to those who operate within the legal framework and within the requirements that we have.
Thank you for your attention.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.