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Written question asked by Emily Thornberry (Labour) on Tuesday, 28 February 2017, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 2 March 2017. It was answered by Boris Johnson (Conservative) on Wednesday, 8 March 2017 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Belarus: Eurasian Economic Union

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Belarusian counterpart on the effects of Eurasian Economic Union membership on the economic performance of that country.

Answer

Belarus resumed WTO membership negotiations in January 2017 when the WTO Working Party on the country’s accession met for the first time in 12 years. Belarus emphasised that moving forward with WTO accession is a priority for the country in 2017. It has concluded bilateral market access agreements with 10 WTO members to date.

Although a core member of the Eurasian Economic Union, the dividends that Belarus must reasonably have hoped to gain from its membership have not materialised. Trade amongst the EEU countries has fallen: by 11% in 2014 and by 25% in 2015.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
65890
Session
2016-17
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Belarus Eurasian Economic Union
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk