The Eurasian Union as a Tool of Russian Geopolitics
209EEC also has supranational authority over the technical regulations, which
cover mainly sectors such as “rail transportation and infrastructure,
machinery and equipment, fuel, pyrotechnic products, perfume and
cosmetics, textile products and foodstuffs.”^38
In conclusion, the launch of the Customs Union created a single
market of 170 million consumers encompassing over 20 million square
kilometres, which is 15% of the world’s land surface. Figure 11-2
illustrates the global standing of the members of the Customs Union as
well as of the Single Economic Space.
Figure 11-2: Global standing of the member states of the Customs Union and the
SES.^39
Figure 11-2 also illustrates the expectations of the three Customs
Unions members with regard to the creation of the Eurasian Economic
Union. The new regional economic organisation is intended to have
advantages in terms of geography and population, as well as trade and
economy. The Eurasian Economic Union is also expected to be capable of
negotiating better customs and, later on, other necessary trade and
economic conditions with third parties such as the European Union or the
developed economies. So far, certain aspirations to create a common
(^38) Ibid.
(^39) Eurasian Economic Integration: Facts and Figures, 15.