FORMATION OF A COMMON GAS MARKET IN THE EURASIAN ECONOMIC UNION: OBJECTIVES, PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS IN CONSIDERATION OF THE EXPERIENCE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

Abstract

Introduction. The article is devoted to the analysis of the current state of formation of the common gas market of the EAEU. The economic integration of the EAEU countries, launched in 2014, provides for three stages in the creation of a common EAEU gas market. At the moment, the EAEU countries are at the second stage of this integration. The main objective of the second stage of the formation of a common gas market is the creation of one or more common commodity exchanges on the territory of the EAEU, where gas can be traded.The discussion on the creation of common commodity exchanges for the EAEU countries intensified in May 2022. Based on the results of this discussion, the Report on proposals for the formation of a common exchange market for goods within the framework of the EAEU was adopted. The Report provides for several models of vision of the common commodity market of the EAEU, proposed by different countries of the EAEU. Determining the most successful model will allow us to move on to the third stage of the formation of the EAEU common gas market. The article analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of each of the models for building a common exchange market for goods in comparison with the experience of building a common exchange market for goods in the EU.Materials and methods. The study used the normative legal acts of the law of the EAEU, previously existing acts of the EurAsEC, acts of the EU, scientific works of representatives of the legal doctrine, affecting energy law, Eurasian integration and EU law. The methodological basis of the study was the following theoretical methods of cognition: analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, analogy, as well as special methods of cognition of legal phenomena and processes: comparative legal and formal legal.Research results. Based on the analysis of the models for building a common exchange gas market presented in the Report and the experience of the EU, it was found that the most preferable model for the future EAEU gas exchange market is a model in which the EAEU common market is formed on the basis of national commodity exchanges. With this model of a common gas exchange market, each of the participants in trading on any national commodity exchange can participate in trading on any other national exchange within the EAEU space without any restrictions. This model provides the highest level of competition among participants and national exchanges, and to a greater extent than other models contributes to the growth of the total volume of exchange trading within the EAEU space. Also, the presented model is more in line with the experience of organizing EU commodity exchanges, which should be considered as positive. Discussion and conclusion. As a result of the study, the advantages of the model for building a common exchange gas market of the EAEU were substantiated; the advantages of other models, their advantages and disadvantages, as well as the experience of the EU are analyzed in detail. The model proposedin the article can be chosen to build a common EAEU gas exchange market, which will be one of the main steps towards completing the formation of a common EAEU gas market.