Kazakhstan’s Accession to the WTO: Overview and Implications for the Eurasian Economic Union
On November 30 2015, Kazakhstan became the 162nd Member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The country’s negotiations lasted around 20 years and was the longest in the history of the WTO. Kazakhstan’s accession to the WTO will have an economic impact on Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and Belarus as its member. When Russia joined the WTO, the rates of the Single Customs Tariff (SCT) of the Customs Union and then EAEU were adjusted (and some of them are still adjusting) to import duty rates that are listed in the Schedule of concessions and commitments on market access for goods, which is annexed to Russia’s Protocol of Accession to the WTO. Hence, after implementation of Kazakhstan’s final bound rate in 5 years more than one third of tariff lines will be lower than SCT and therefore commodities will be imported at reduced customs duty rates. It may affect Belarus in different ways, e.g. increase competition with foreign goods in Kazakhstan’s market, reduce the inflow of customs duties accrued according to the agreement between Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan on the distribution of import customs duties within the Customs Union, and create schemes of re-exporting goods with lower tariffs to Russian and Belarus.