Belarus parliament speaker urges to harmonise Eurasian union legislation

MOSCOW, February 19. /TASS/. The speaker of the Belarusian upper house of parliament said on Thursday it was necessary to compare and harmonise national legislation across the Eurasian Economic Union to eliminate any differences. Council of the Republic chairman Mikhail Myasnikovich said at a meeting with the speaker of Russia’s State Duma lower house of parliament, Sergey Naryshkin: "I think we should make some comparison to identify fundamental differences or a lack of laws and regulations necessary to ensure that the economic union and integration as a whole are supported by adequate up-to-date legislation." Myasnikovich suggested that "appropriate instruction should be given to the Eurasian Economic Commission, headed by [Viktor] Khristenko," at a session of the Russia-Belarus Union State Supreme State Council on March 3 "to see what kind of new laws and regulations should be adopted". "Decisions on the Eurasian Economic Union are opening quite a large scope of work in harmonising and aligning national laws," the Belarusian speaker said, noting that the treaty establishing the union had been signed but national laws and regulations remained the same. The new integration association - the Eurasian Economic Union - started operating in January, replacing the Eurasian Economic Community, which officially ceased to exist in October. The union includes Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Armenia with Kyrgyzstan expected to join it in May. Membership is open to other states assessed as sharing the assembly's aims and principles, its founders say. The treaty was signed by the presidents of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus in May last year. It establishes the union ensuring free movement of goods, services, capital and labour and binds its member states to conduct co-ordinated or common policy in economic sectors. Read more