The Eurasian Economic Union: is supranational law and the judicial system capable of stimulating economic development?

The HSE-Skolkovo Institute for Law and Development held the session "The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU): is supranational law and the judicial system capable of stimulating economic development?" as part of the annual April International Scientific Conference of the Higher School of Economics.

The Court of the Eurasian Economic Union is entrusted with the important task of ensuring uniform application of EAEU law across all member states (i.e. Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan) and across union apparatus. The implementation of this task can directly affect economic development within the framework of Eurasian integration. Representatives of the Court, the bodies of the EAEU, and the academic community were invited to discuss this issue. Therein, the session moderator was the Chairman of the EAEU Court, A.A. Fedortsov. Also present was judge D.G. Kolos, judge advisor E.V. Babkina, and court advisor K.V. Entin.

The academic community was represented in the discussion by Institute Director A.Y. Ivanov, and the Head of the Department of International Law of the Faculty of Law of Moscow State University. Research Fellow of the Institute, M.V. Karlyuk was also present. A.A. Naumov also participated, head of the department for monitoring and legal-judicial work of the legal department of the Eurasian Economic Commission.

Thus, representatives of varied parties interacted at the session, which led to a diversity of argument, both critical and defensive. In particular, opposing points of view were expressed regarding the limitations of the powers of the Court of the EAEU, the methods of its functioning and, in general, the nature and place of law in the EAEU. Despite the fact that the Court was established relatively recently and its practice is not so extensive, the discussion turned out to be quite lively, and led to proposals for the development of the Court and EAEU law in general, and testified to the Court's openness towards cooperation with interested parties. The answer to the question posed in the title of the session is rhetorical, since it exists, despite limitations, and indeed the answer, and message, is about the desire to positively influence economic development.