EEC, RUIE, and FBA EAC Organized a Roundtable Discussion on the Main Directions of EAEU's Economic Development
On April 2, 2026, Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RUIE), and Financial and Business Association of Euro-Asian Cooperation (FBA EAC) convened a roundtable discussion in Moscow, at Kotelnicheskaya Embankment. The event was focused on the development of the Main Directions of Economic Development of the Eurasian Economic Union until 2045, titled "The Main Directions of the EAEU's Economic Development - 2045: A Strategy for Business."
The roundtable brought together representatives from government agencies, the business sector, and the academic community to discuss the formulation of a new strategic document for the EAEU.
The event featured two sessions, moderated by Alexey Vedev, Director of the EEC's Department of Macroeconomic Policy, and Alexander Kotlyarsky, First Vice President of FBA EAC and a member of FBA EAC's Bureau of Directors. The opening remarks were delivered by Alexander Murichev, RUIE Vice President.
In his opening address, Alexey Vedev characterized the current global economic environment as "a period of unprecedented uncertainty and the presence of the maximum possible set of risks, which are being realized, and some of these risks are overlapping, thereby intensifying and prolonging their impact." He noted that geopolitics is transitioning from a short-term factor to a long-term and persistent one, and the erosion of international law and multilateral cooperation systems is creating new challenges. Vedev emphasized that the objective of the strategy developers is not to predict the dynamics of external conditions but to propose a flexible model of accelerated growth that is minimally dependent on external circumstances and can be масштабирована through integration mechanisms. He stated, "We are convinced that integration cooperation based on international law has no alternative and will never be a zero-sum game, as it benefits all participants, and these benefits become even more pronounced in the face of deteriorating external conditions." Vedev's remarks set the tone for a subsequent discussion on how, in harsh conditions, to transform the Main Directions of Economic Development from a declarative document into a practical tool for businesses and states.
Andrey Panteleev, Head of the Economic Policy Strategies Department of the EEC Macroeconomic Policy Department, outlined possible approaches to the development of the Main Directions of Economic Development. He recalled that the previous attempt to develop the Main Directions of Economic Development 2035 took four years and was unsuccessful due to a lack of consensus among member states. The process has now been relaunched within the framework of the Declaration "The Eurasian Economic Path-2045," with a new requirement to take into account the spatial development documents of the Union countries. Panteleev proposed three approaches: based on the EEC's areas of activity, based on the messages from country leaders, or based on the similarities in national development strategies.
Each of these approaches carries its own risks, ranging from a formal listing of areas to potential discrepancies in priorities at the national and supranational levels. Attendees included Sergey Afontsev, Deputy Director for Research at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Alexander Shirov, Director of the Institute for Economic Forecasting of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Shirov highlighted the fundamental limitations on the growth of EAEU countries: the low level of domestic research and development expenditures (approximately 1% of GDP in Russia and significantly lower in other countries) coupled with a dependence on imported technologies exceeding 65%. According to his estimates, potential growth rates vary significantly between 2020 and 2035, ranging from 3.4% in Russia to 9% in Kyrgyzstan. Additionally, demographic aging will be a key trend for most EAEU countries.
In his report titled "EAEU-2045: Limits of Growth," Alexander Grigoriev, Deputy CEO of the Institute for Natural Monopoly Issues, presented data indicating that the electricity sector could become a key constraint on the economic growth of the Union. Kazakhstan faces the highest risk of capacity shortages, while Russia is confronted with the challenge of large-scale modernization of thermal power plants amid technological and financial constraints. Grigoriev underscored the systemic risk associated with the availability of equipment for thermal power plants given the global investment cycle in artificial intelligence, which has driven up the cost of energy equipment and delayed the delivery of gas turbines.
Dmitry Shults, Director of Macroeconomic Research at the Center for Infrastructure Economics, outlined global trends until 2045, including demographic transition (by the end of the 2070s, there will be more individuals over the age of 65 than children), climate change (a 1°C increase in temperature leads to a reduction in global GDP growth by 12%), a shift in the global trade paradigm from efficiency to sustainability, an increase in financial imbalances, and a global energy transition. For the EAEU, Shults emphasized the need to create a unified transport framework, develop international corridors, and establish supranational mechanisms for spatial development, including the issuance of Union bonds similar to the EU experience.
Dr. Vladimir Tsyganov, Professor of Technical Sciences, presented a set of models for strategic management of Eurasian transport infrastructure development based on the principles of PROXIMA. He demonstrated how climate change impacts railway infrastructure and presented the development of the Arctic Intelligent Multimodal Transport Corridor, which could increase capacity by 1.5-2 times.
The second session focused on applied mechanisms. Andrey Lotsmanov, Deputy Co-Chair of the RUIE Committee on Industrial Policy and Technical Regulation, addressed international GOST standards as a tool for creating a safe environment for industrial cooperation and enhancing export potential in the context of the fragmentation of global regulation.
Denis Kucheryavtsev, Head of the Department of Industrial Policy, Interstate Programs, and Projects at the EEC Department of Industrial Policy, outlined the main directions of industrial and technological development in the Union, establishing a systemic framework for joint projects. Alexey Kazartsev, Chairman of the FBA EAC International Banking Committee, discussed issues related to international payments, payment cards, and mobile applications, stressing that industrial cooperation is infeasible without reliable payment mechanisms.
Alan Salbiev, Managing Partner of ATOM LLC and Advisor on Digitalization to the Chairman of the Financial Market Professional Qualifications Council, emphasized the convergence and mutual recognition of qualifications and educational requirements as a necessary prerequisite for technological sovereignty.
In a report on artificial intelligence and quantum technologies, Anatoly Smirnov, President of the National Institute for Global Security Studies, Doctor of Historical Sciences, and Professor at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, stated that the convergence of quantum computing and artificial intelligence is creating a new paradigm for international and regional security. He identified specific threats such as the Shor algorithm for asymmetric cryptography breaking and the "collect now, decrypt later" strategy. As countermeasures, Smirnov highlighted post-quantum cryptography and quantum key distribution. He proposed using the historical "Bletchley method"—the integration of science, operational processes, and management—to coordinate the transition to post-quantum cryptography within the EAEU to avoid a "quantum splinternet," i.e., the fragmentation of the internet into incompatible cryptosystems.
Igor Badin, Professor of the Institute for the Preservation of Shareholder Property, concluded the session by proposing the establishment of intersectoral centers for technological adaptation, where even competing companies could consolidate their experience to develop common quality standards and accelerate import substitution, including digitization.
During the open discussion moderated by Alexander Kotlyarsky, participants focused on practical measures to strengthen the financial and industrial potential of the EAEU. Key areas of discussion included the formation of a common financial market and the expansion of settlements in national currencies, the creation of a unified space for technological cooperation, enhancing production competitiveness, and the introduction of high-tech products to both domestic and foreign markets.
The roundtable also featured a dedicated session on GOST standards as a tool for industrial cooperation, training within the framework of Greater Eurasia, the mutual recognition of qualifications, and the prospects for artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, and intersectoral centers for technological adaptation. Presentations and subsequent discussions demonstrated that the Main Directions Economic Development could be a valuable tool for businesses and governments, even under conditions of high uncertainty, as emphasized by Alexey Vedev in the opening remarks.
The proposals made during the roundtable will be integrated into ongoing work on the Main Directions of Economic Development until 2045. The event marked the beginning of a series of expert discussions on approaches to developing the Main Directions Economic Development, which will continue at venues across all EAEU member states.