House of Representatives of Belarus' National Assembly ratified the whole package of documents, forming a legal base of the Common Economic Space of Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan, on December 21. Following the EEC Interstate Council meeting, Alexander Lukashenko promised that Belarus would ratify the entire package of agreements by 1 January 2011. Council of the Republic is planning to endorse these bills on December 22.
Vice-Premier Andrei Kobiakov presented these 18 agreements to the Belarusian deputies. According to the deputy of the Belarusian government, after the completion of these agreements’ ratification, petroleum and petroleum products will come to Belarus from Russia duty-free and without volume restrictions, BelTA informs.
According to Andrei Kobiakov, Minsk and Moscow have come to a compromise over the allocation of duties on crude oil and petroleum products in the result of long negotiations, which suggests that the duty of the Belarusian crude oil export goes to the Belarusian budget and tax on exports of petroleum products — to the Russian budget.
Belarus and Russia Preparing New Gas Contract, Kobiakov
In addition, as Vice Prime Minister says, Beltransgaz and Gazprom have to prepare a contract after the ratification of the EEA in 2011, providing for the formation of gas prices for Belarus in 2012-2014, adjusted for Russia’s phase transition into equal gas pricing from January 1, 2015.
The proposal to ratify an agreement on the rules of access to natural monopolies in gas transportation through the gas transportation system, including the basics of pricing and tariff policy, will come in force on January 1, 2012, Andrei Kobiakov said.
