On October 14, the second meeting of the Joint Committee on the implementation of the free trade agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and Iran was held in Tehran, co-chaired by Andrey Slepnev, Minister in charge of Trade of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), and Mohammad Atabak, Iran’s Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade.

According to the Eurasian Economic Commission, the meeting focused on moving beyond the liberalization of customs duties, which have been successfully reduced, toward removing tariff barriers and providing practical support to businesses.

“Our focus today should shift from the liberalization of customs duties, which we have successfully reduced, to removing tariff barriers and providing real support to businesses. This is precisely what our producers and exporters expect from us,” Slepnev said, according to an EEC statement.

The parties discussed market access for automotive, medical and pharmaceutical products, as well as ongoing work on requirements for halal products.

The parties agreed to develop a plan of measures to remove restrictions on market access for finished consumer goods.

Particular attention was also paid to simplifying trade procedures. The EAEU and Iran will accelerate work on establishing an electronic system for verifying the origin of goods and agreeing on a protocol for the electronic exchange of customs information.

In addition, discussions in the transport sector addressed reducing carriers’ costs, simplifying procedures at border crossing points, and digitizing shipments along the North–South International Transport Corridor.