Legal aspects of the development of integration processes in the Eurasian Economic Union

Abstract

The article discusses issues related to integration processes within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and explores general patterns of integration observed in modern states. It examines the varying speeds of integration within the EAEU. While the Union State of Russia and Belarus has been forming since the 1990s, the active phase of its establishment and the pursuit of goals outlined in the Treaty on the Establishment of the Union State began in 2022. In May 2023, Kazakhstan was also invited to join this Union State, but it rejected the proposal at the highest political level and instead suggested focusing on the prospects for economic integration within the EAEU. This created a unique situation where there were two types of integration within a single integration association. On one hand, there is the Union State of Belarus and Russia, and on the other hand, there are the remaining EAEU members, including Kazakhstan, who collaborate under the framework of the Treaty on the EAEU signed on May 29, 2014. The article also discusses the practical implementation of the Strategic Directions for the Development of Eurasian Economic Integration until 2025. It analyzes certain provisions of the treaty concerning the powers of the EAEU Court, raising doubts about whether they align with the interests of Kazakhstan. A comparison is made between the legal consolidation of integration processes in the European Union through the practices of the EU Court of Justice and the potential assignment of similar functions to the EU Court of Justice. In conclusion, the article suggests that during the simultaneous pursuit of sovereignty by states and entry into integration associations, it is important to preserve and develop statehood and independence. Cooperation within the EAEU should be supplemented by broader economic interactions with all interested countries and integration associations worldwide.