Kazakhstan presides over EEC Board’s session

NUR-SULTAN, February 1 (KAZINFORM) – A session of the Eurasian Economic Commission Board took place on January 29, 2021 under the chairmanship of First Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Alikhan Smailov via videoconferencing, Kazinform cites the official website of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan. The session for the first time was joined by Deputy PM – Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan Sardor Umurzakov as an observer-State representative. The session’s participants discussed the issues in foreign trade, customs and technical regulation and international cooperation. In particular, the base model of labeling system of goods by identification means in the EAEU, establishing a procedure and mechanism of interaction between the countries of the groupings with their own labeling and the EAEU countries without labeling was approved. The model is meant to avoid trade barriers in case a country requires labeling, but another not. In order to support makers and importers of electronics and household appliances during the quarantine, the tie of effectiveness of the EAEU technical regulation on requirements and energy safety was extended until September 1, 2022. In addition, by the Board’s decision the «zero» customs duty rate was prolonged until the end of 2023 on aluminum fluoride used in the production of aluminum by electrolysis. The measure was taken to bolster competitiveness of the aluminum industry and develop domestic industrial production. At the initiative of the Kazakh side, the issue of feasibility of introducing the amendments to the Agreement on single principles and rules for the circulation of pharmaceuticals in the EAEU as of December 23, 2014 regarding the preservation of the possibility of registering pharmaceuticals needed for consumption in inner market in accordance with the national legislation was considered. Notably, Kazakhstan took over the presidency of the EAEU bodies on January 1, 2021.