|
Friday, 01.07.2011
Three-Customs Union: Customs officers pull out
Smolensk/Moscow. The Customs Union between Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan had come into force last night. Border crossings at the internal borders were closed for good by midnight.
|
|
Ten Minutes to midnight custom officers were still stamping documents for freight drivers, crossing the border of the main freight route between Moscow and Minsk.
At midnight and the start of July 1st, they switched off their computers, turned off the lights and took down the official boards to the entrances to their border posts, reports Vesti television news.
|
At the border between Belarus and Russia, despite all political and economic conflicts, over the last months only transit freight had still been checked.
Free travel across the border like the Schengen agreement
From now on the traffic is supposed to flow freely like it is when crossing hardly noticeable borders between two Schengen states.
|
On the border between Russia and Kazakhstan on the other hand, the usual passport control procedures remain in operation. Only customs control has closed its doors at the set date.
|
Customs checks are only taking place now at the external borders of the Three Country Union. The three countries had agreed in the past on uniform customs rules and tariffs for border crossings.
|
Aim: One economic area - and new members
The Russian government explained that the customs union will be expanded to a complete and full-fledged economic area. Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan expressed their interest in joining the CIS economic bloc.
Russia is in the new customs zone by far the dominant force but had to accept certain economic losses.
|
As reported by 'Nesawissimaja Gaseta', 300 Russian companies emigrated to Kazakhstan. Reason for this are the 3 to 13 percent lower tax and social duties in the central Asian country.
|
|
