The discussion took place as part of the 27th St Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Alexei Overchuk takes part in roundtable discussion on The Union State: 25 Years of Integration – Results and New Challenges
This year will mark 25 years since the signing of the Treaty on the Creation of the Union State of Russia and Belarus. The 2024 St Petersburg International Economic Forum featured a roundtable discussion on the development of the Union State.
Speaking at the session, The Union State: 25 Years of Integration – Results and New Challenges, Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk stressed that the recent years have seen the two governments working as a single team to create a common economic space from Brest to Vladivostok.
The Deputy Prime Minister noted that last year, the Belarusian economy grew by 3.9 percent; Russia saw a 3.6 percent growth. Both figures not only exceeded the global average, but also the results of those countries that have imposed sanctions on Russia and Belarus.
In 2023, mutual trade between Russia and Belarus grew 7.1 percent. Trade in goods reached 3.9 trillion Russian roubles ($46.5 billion) and exceeded $50 billion with services.
Alexei Overchuk reminded the audience that Russia and Belarus also demonstrated the highest share of mutual payments in national currencies, with such transactions accounting for as much as 93 percent of the total. In addition, both Belkart and Mir cards are now accepted everywhere throughout the Union State due to the alignment of the Mir and Belkart payment systems.
“We are collaborating to create a single transport and logistics space, eliminating existing restrictions, coordinating the development of transport corridors. We are focusing on creating an equal and transparent tax environment for our businesses, harmonising our tax rates. We have introduced an integrated system for administering indirect taxes, which is very important for levelling the playing field in both countries. We are forming mechanisms for a cross-border space of trust. We hope that the agreement on the mutual recognition of electronic digital signatures will be fully operational by the end of the year,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.
In his remarks, the speaker mentioned the cancellation of roaming charges among the priority objectives. “We have already removed most obstacles and reached agreement on cancelling incoming call charges. Now we are focusing our effort not only on outgoing calls, but also on data transmission, which is definitely even more important than conventional telephone traffic in modern conditions, and I think that we will soon be able to make payment plans user-friendly in both countries,” Alexei Overchuk said.
In conclusion, the Deputy Prime Minister said that the two governments were working on action plans for the main areas of cooperation for 2024–2026. These plans will specify and supplement the broad integration document approved by the Supreme State Council, and the countries will approve them in the near future.
