Eurasian Economic Union

The Eurasian Economic Union is a customs and economic union founded by treaty in 2014, building on the earlier Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia. The EAEU coordinates trade and economic policy across the post-Soviet space and is the principal regional economic vehicle in Eurasia.

At a glance

• Founded: 2014 (Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union signed in Astana, 29 May 2014)
• Headquarters: Moscow, Russia  ·  Saint Petersburg (Court); Almaty (Commission)
• Official languages: Russian
• Website: eaeunion.org

Mission

The Treaty establishes a single market for goods, services, capital, and labour, plus coordinated policy in macroeconomics, transport, energy, agriculture, and intellectual property. Long-term goals include common markets in the most sensitive sectors (oil, gas, electricity, financial services).

Structure

The Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, made up of heads of state, is the highest body. The Eurasian Intergovernmental Council brings together heads of government. The Eurasian Economic Commission in Moscow is the permanent regulatory body. The Court of the EAEU in Minsk handles legal disputes.

Member states

EAEU has 5 member states. Membership current as of 2024-01.

• Armenia
• Belarus
• Kazakhstan
• Kyrgyzstan
• Russia

Key facts

• The EAEU was originally proposed by Kazakhstan's president Nursultan Nazarbayev in 1994 — two decades before the treaty was actually signed.
• Free-trade agreements have been signed with Vietnam (2015), Iran (provisional, 2018), Singapore (2019), and Serbia (2019).
• Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have indicated interest in joining; both currently hold observer status in some EAEU bodies.
• Western sanctions on Russia following 2022 have significantly affected the bloc's external trade, accelerating internal trade-flow rerouting.
• The Eurasian Economic Commission has supranational regulatory authority in agreed sectors — a power roughly analogous to the European Commission within the EU.

Historic milestones