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17.05.2012

Eurasian Economic Union impossible without parliamentary dimension

SAINT PETERSBURG, 17 May (BelTA) – The development of the Eurasian Economic Union is impossible without parliamentary dimension, Chairman of the House of Representatives of Belarus Vladimir Andreichenko told BelTA as he commented on the meeting of the speakers of the parliaments of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia in St Petersburg on 17 May.

The official noted that organizational support of the parliamentary constituent in the Eurasian economic integration on the way to the Eurasian Economic Union is an important moment: “We cannot do it without parliament. As you know a number of agreements have been signed within the Single Economic Space. All of them regulate trade issues. We also need to develop legislation in other areas as well, foreign policy, industrial policy… For this we need parliamentary dimension in the Eurasian economic integration.”

“Today I do not name that parliamentary structure which will be set up within the Eurasian Economic Union… I think it will be Eurasian parliament, but it is a matter for the future,” Vladimir Andreichenko said. He stressed that the preliminary work should be done by the relative working group which the speakers of the three parliaments decided to set up at today’s meeting. The main objective of the group will be to develop a road map of the parliamentary dimension of the Eurasian economic integration.

Asked about the role of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Belarus-Russia Union State in creating a new parliamentary dimension of the three countries, Vladimir Andreichenko said that it is not appropriate to oppose these two parliamentary dimensions. “If we are talking about the Parliamentary Assembly, we made big progress there. It addresses not only economic issues, but also social and the ones relating to freedom of movement of people, their residence, recognition of diplomas and so on,” the Speaker said. He added that the Troika had not yet reached such a level of integration.

In turn, Speaker of the State Duma of Russia Sergei Naryshkin told reporters that the first meeting of this group is scheduled to be held in Moscow.