The EU in the future can be transformed into a Free Trade Area (FTA) with the participation of Russia. The Brussels position is becoming less and less understood by the EU member states after BREXIT, therefore, the decentralization of the EU becomes one of the most preferable solutions to internal disagreements. Russia's Business Ombudsman Boris Titov believes that the establishment of the FTA is a step in the right direction. Discussion with European partners is already underway.
European politicians, taking into account internal disagreements in the EU, start talking about the need for the transformation of the EU in its present form in the FTA - with the participation of Russia. FTA is the first stage of economic integration, when the member countries cancel customs duties and other restrictions. Recall that Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated the need to create a Free Trade Area from Lisbon to Vladivostok.
Russia's Business Ombudsman Boris Titov:
"The direction is absolutely right: we need to create a Free Trade Area, Russia is a European country, complementary to the EU states.If the EU countries trust us as a supplier of raw materials, agricultural products or invest in our machine-building enterprises, that's good. This is the meaning of the FTA. We must remember that now our competitiveness is inadequate. We need a period for development. At the first stage, norms of soft customs regulation are needed - barriers that will enable our sectors of the economy to develop. After this, there will be a gradual removal of tariffs and entry into the FTA."
"Austria wants to implement its own foreign and domestic policies, countries must preserve their national sovereignty, so it is necessary to transform the current EU into a strong economic organization that will exist on the principle of an FTA. Russia must enter the common economic space, because it is in the cultural, political and historical point of view is an integral part of Europe," Senator Hans-
"The creation of an FTA can be an alternative, which requires careful analysis. We must seek solutions that will be acceptable to all states. Obviously, the EU countries should cooperate with one of the largest markets in the world (Russian - 'Izvestia'). Most citizens demand the establishment of relations with Moscow and the lifting of sanctions that damage our entrepreneurs and block the development of joint Russian-Romanian projects. Already, the damage from sanctions is estimated at more than € 150 billion," Laurentiu Rebega, a member of the European Parliament from Romania, told.
Source: 'Izvestia'.
