NESVIZH, June 4. /TASS/. The economic growth of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries exceeded the global rate - in 2023 GDP of the EAEU countries increased by 3.8%, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said at a meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council in an expanded format.
"Based on last year's results, the GDP of ‘the five’ grew by 3.8%, surpassing global growth rates. Real wages are steadily increasing, unemployment rates are decreasing - all this against the backdrop of an unfavorable external environment, the formation of a new architecture of international relations, and growing sanctions pressure, primarily on Russia and Belarus," he said.
Mishustin added that since the creation of the EAEU, the volume of mutual trade has almost doubled, agricultural production has increased by more than a quarter, and industrial production by more than 20%. "This quarter, these two indicators added another 1.5% and 5.5%, respectively," he said, citing the data from the Russian statistics.
He stressed that over the course of 10 years, the EAEU has created a unique supranational regulatory system with uniform requirements for goods entering the territory of participating countries. Mishustin also recalled that more than 50 technical regulations have been adopted, covering about 85% of products on the unified market, which is important for providing citizens with high-quality and reliable goods and simplifying trade.
"We should develop such mechanisms, involving members of the CIS and other nations with which we have particularly tight economic connections. This will enable us to successfully eliminate obstacles for manufacturers by utilizing already proven tools," he noted.
According to Mishustin, the main macroeconomic indicators of all member countries of the EAEU show positive dynamics, although there is still room for improvement. "In all 'the five' countries we see positive dynamics in the main macroeconomic indicators," he said.
At the same time, Mishustin noted, the EAEU countries have achieved certain successes together in terms of integration, supporting each other in the most difficult situations. "We have something to be proud of and something to strive for," he said. Mishustin also quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said at a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in Moscow in early May that the EAEU "brings real benefits to each of the members of the association."