Belarus advocates for limiting the use of the veto right within the EAEU. This was stated by Minister of Economy Dmitry Krutoy on the air of the "Belarus 1" TV channel, as reported by BELTA.
The Minister outlined Belarus's proposals for eliminating barriers and restrictions in mutual trade. He mentioned the veto right, which EAEU countries have used seven times in the five years of its existence. "The existence of such an institution, in principle, does not contribute to the common goal of eliminating all obstacles," said Dmitry Krutoy, suggesting that several areas should be identified where the veto right would not be applicable.
He recalled that the President of Belarus had previously proposed introducing a moratorium on the adoption of new legal acts that are discriminatory towards union partners. "This idea is being discussed, but it requires amendments to the basic Treaty on the EAEU," the minister noted, adding that currently, two packages of amendments are being considered. "We will, of course, initiate this topic."
Dmitry Krutoy stated that the mechanism agreed upon by EAEU countries to eliminate barriers in mutual trade is currently functioning poorly. According to the minister, out of 17 obstacles that were supposed to be eliminated in 2018-2019, only one has been removed. The Belarusian side predicts that about 15 will be carried over to the next cycle.
The minister summarised the outcomes of the meetings of the Eurasian Economic Commission Council and the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council, which took place in Yerevan on April 29 and 30. Dmitry Krutoy noted that the most acute issue was the introduction of sectoral restrictions in mutual trade between EAEU member states based on doubts about the safety or origin of goods. In particular, Belarusian milk was discussed. "The most important thing is that all five countries agreed that it is impossible to introduce barriers against an entire country for a specific product or item. If there are violations and their critical mass is growing, then specific companies and items need to be addressed, but an entire country cannot be shut out," emphasised the head of the Ministry of Economy.