Chapter Eleven
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economic space with the European Union have already been expressed by
the Customs Union.^40 Special interests in terms of relations with third
countries lie towards China, Japan, and the USA. India has also shown
interest in signing a free trade area agreement with the future Eurasian
Economic Union.^41 Therefore, one of the main challenges facing the
Eurasian Economic Union will certainly be its relationship to other
regional organisations during the fourth and final stage of Eurasian
economic integration and beyond.
One can conclude from this chapter that the member states of the
Customs Union and the Single Economic Space have not only addressed
the model of the European economic integration in theory, but they also
realised the model of the European Economic Space, focusing on the
ultimate goal of the creation of the Eurasian Economic Union as
scheduled on 1 January 2015.
The calculations behind Russia’s regional integration attempts
Russia’s regional integration initiatives have been aimed at creating
broader economic space between the former Soviet republics and Moscow
from the very beginning. The new moment in Russian regional integration
ambitions is, however, the quest for new patterns of strategic development
in regard to Eurasian economic integration.^42 Thus, one can conclude that
the Russian plans behind Eurasian economic integration are aimed at
transferring the former Soviet space into a consolidated regional entity
through re-integration of the CIS countries–or at least those which are
willing as well as capable of joining the Eurasian Union–once it has been
officially launched.
From a Russian point of view, the advantages with regard to the
launch of the Eurasian Union lie explicitly in the comparatively similar
level of economic development of the member states; in the similarity of
their cultural, historical, and social dimensions; in the development of
already existing connections, transport networks, and energy infrastructures;
as well as in the many similarities from their political, economic, and
social policies during the Soviet Union. Beyond that, Moscow emphasizes
the argument that the sovereignty of the former Soviet republics had never
been reduced during the past decades within the Soviet Union, as is
currently the case with the member states of the EU. In conclusion, the
(^40) Ibid, 7.
(^41) Press conference following Supreme Eurasian Economic Council meeting.
(^42) Khristenko, “Forward by Viktor Khristenko”, 5.