Евразийское экономическое сообщество

TREATY

on the creation of the common customs territory

and establishment of the customs union

of 6 December 2007

The Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation, hereinafter referred to as the Parties,

Referring to the Treaty on the Establishment of the Eurasian Economic Community dated October 10, 2000,

Endeavoring to ensure the free movement of goods in mutual trade, favorable conditions for trade between the customs union and the third countries and the advance of economic integration of the Parties,

Have agreed as follows:

Article 1

The terms used in this Treaty shall have the following meanings:

“Common customs territory” is the territory that includes customs territories of the Parties;

“Common customs tariff” is the agreed list of unified customs duties applied to goods imported to common customs territory from the third countries, classified in compliance with the Common commodity classification for foreign-economic activity;

“customs union” is a form of trade and economic integration of the Parties that envisages the common customs territory without customs duties and economic restrictions in mutual trade with regard to goods originating from the common customs territory and with regard to goods originating from third countries and admitted for free circulation in this customs territory, except special protective, antidumping and compensation measures. At this the Parties shall apply the common customs tariff and other common regulative measures in trade with the third countries;

“The third countries” are the countries not participating in this Treaty.

Article 2

The decision on the merger of the Parties' customs territories into a common customs territory and the completion of the customs union establishment shall be taken by the union's supreme body after the following items are implemented:

a) The common customs tariff and other measures regulating international trade with the third countries are defined and applied;

b) The unified trade regime is established and applied in trade with the third countries;

c) The procedure for charging and distributing customs duties and other dues, taxes and fees of equivalent effect is set and applied;

d) The unified rules for determining the country of origin of goods are set and applied;

e) The unified rules for determining the customs value of goods are set and applied;

f) The unified methodology for statistics of external and mutual trade is developed and applied;

g) The unified order for customs regulation, including the unified rules for declaring goods and paying customs duties and the common customs regimes is set and applied;

h) The bodies of the customs union are established and operate within the limits of their competence as authorized by the Parties.

Article 3

From the moment of establishing the common customs territory the Parties shall not apply customs duties, quantitative restrictions and the equivalent measures in mutual trade.

Nothing in this Article shall impede the Parties from applying special protective, antidumping and compensation measures as well as import or export embargos and restrictions necessary for protection of public morality, the life and health of people, animals and plants, environment or cultural values, on the condition that such embargos and restrictions shall not serve as a means of unjustified discrimination or hidden trade restrictions.

Article 4

If bilateral international treaties which have been in force between the Parties prior to the establishment of the common customs territory envisage a more favorable regime in terms of customs duties and fees charged at import or export of goods, the methods of charging such duties and fees, the administrative rules and procedures applied for mutual trade in goods between the Parties as compared to the regime set by this Treaty, the provisions of such international treaties shall prevail.

Article 5

From the moment of establishing the common customs territory the regime of customs duties and fees charged at import or export of goods, the methods of charging such duties and fees, the administrative rules and procedures related to import or export of goods, provided by the Parties to any third countries on the basis of the international treaty or de facto shall not be more favorable than the regime provided to the other Parties.

Article 6

Any dispute between the Parties related to the interpretation and (or) application of this Treaty shall be resolved through consultations and negotiations between the interested Parties. If consent is not achieved the dispute shall be resolved at the Court of Justice of the Eurasian Economic Community.

Article 7

At the mutual agreement of the Parties amendments and additions may be made to this Treaty in the form of separate protocols.

Article 8

This Treaty shall be subject to ratification.

The procedure for entering into force of the Treaty, withdrawal and joining of the Parties shall be stipulated in the Protocol on the procedure of entry into force of international treaties aimed at establishing the contractual and legal framework of the Customs Union, accession to them and withdrawal from them, dated October 06, 2007.

Done in the city of Dushanbe on October 06, 2007 in one original in the Russian language.

The original of this Treaty shall be kept by the EurAsEC Integration Committee, which shall act as a depositary of this Treaty and shall forward a true copy of this Treaty to each Party.

For the Republic of Belarus                               A. Lukashenko

For the Republic of Kazakhstan                         N. Nazarbayev

For the Russian Federation                                V. Putin