The outcomes of the panel session "European and Eurasian integration: possibilities for a new interface"
European business wants to expand cooperation with partners in the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), despite the absence of institutional interaction between the European and Eurasian economic commissions. Such conclusions were made by the participants of the panel session "European and Eurasian integration: possibilities for a new interface" held in the framework of the St. Petersburg Economic Forum on June 1, 2017.
The Chairman of the EEC Board, Tigran Sargsyan, acted as a moderator of the session. His partner and organizer of the interactive voting was the Member of the Board - Minister in charge of Integration and Macroeconomics of the EEC, Tatyana Valovaya. Search for formats and tools to maintain and develop the constructive dialogue between the European and Eurasian economic unions became the main topic of the event.
Tigran Sargsyan noted that the current session was a continuation of last year's topic. He recalled that interactive voting conducted on the site in 2016 showed that those, who saw the European Union as the most desired partner of the EAEU, were only a relative majority – 26% of the voters.
This year, almost half of the session participants (41%) voted in favour of the development of the dialogue with the EU. 70% of voters believe that European business is ready to cooperate with the Eurasian one.
Tigran Sargsyan drew attention to the beginning of an important stage in the EAEU development last year – negotiations with China on signing of a trade and economic agreement were started. "This track can be considered the most important in the trade and economic agenda of the Union and a key element of the EAEU and the Silk Road Economic Belt conjunction. We need a barrier-free environment, an access to markets and mutually acceptable standards and rules both with China and Europe," Tigran Sargsyan emphasized. He also announced the signing a statement between the EEC and India of starting negotiations on a free trade agreement.
Discussion of the prospects for cooperation between the European and Eurasian Unions were attended by the President of Thomas Vendome Investment, the former Advisor to the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy Jean-Pierre Thomas, the General Director of the Association of European Businesses (AEB), Frank Schauff, the ex-European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy, Štefan Füle.
Press-release at the official Eurasian Economic Commission web-site