MOSCOW. April 15. KAZINFORM /Arnur Rakhymbekov/ “EurAsEC – Investments, Innovations and Integration” business forum has completed its work in Moscow. Representatives of business circles of the EurAsEC member countries gathered for the forum that was held in the International Centre for Trade. The agenda of the event included discussion of the development of integration ties, strengthening business cooperation and cooperation within the Organization. The EurAsEC Secretary General Tair Mansurov noted the necessity to consolidate positions of the Organization’s member countries for overcoming the global financial crisis. According to him, the EurAsEC has already developed a Joint Measures Plan. These measures include provision of conditions for expansion of usage of national currency during mutual payments, ensuring balance-of-payments solidity of the member countries and the opportunities of real sector financing. The participants of the economic community agreed to maintain employment level and promote development of small and medium businesses. The EurAsEC will pursue a coordinated policy on the food market. All these measures target active participation of business circles which will assume responsibility for organization of production, employment and attraction of investments, T. Mansurov said. The Sec Gen pointed out the importance of establishment of a EurAsEC Anti-crisis Fund and a High Technologies Centre for combating the consequences of the world crisis. As earlier reported, the last meeting of the EurAsEC Presidents resulted in signing an agreement on allocation of USD 10 bln to the fund, USD 1 bln of which was to be allotted by our country. The Anti-Crisis Fund will work on ensuring financial stability of the EurAsEC member countries due to granting sovereign loans and financing inter-state investment projects. The High Technologies Centre will specialize in improvement of the conditions for implementation of joint investment programs and projects and exploitation of up-to-date technologies. President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Alexander Shokhin considers the Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus should start its work in mid 2010. He added the Customs Union should remove trade and customs barriers and social tension in the financial crisis. Vice President of Russia’s Commerce and Industry Chamber Georgy Petrov said the European Union should serve as the first model in Customs Union creation. “In the current conditions establishment of the Customs Union is quite necessary. Each country should be ready for limited trade policy, but the European experience proves the necessity in it”, G. Petrov considers. The representative of the Commerce and Industry Chamber proposed to introduce a single tariff basis for transportation of goods between the countries. “There are many regions in Russia which share common border with other countries. Thus, 50% of commodity turnover falls on cross-border trade with Kazakhstan”, G. Petrov said. In turn, Head of Metropol Group of Companies Mikhail Slipenchuk spoke for formation of a unified financial centre for all EurAsEC countries. “Moscow can become such platform since there is eight-hour time zone among Tokyo, Moscow and London”, M. Slipenchuk noted. The EurAsEC business forum was organized by “Eurasian Business Council” non-commercial partnership under an active participation and support of the EurAsEC Integration Committee, the Association of Financial-Industrial Groups of Russia, Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, Russian Commerce and Industry Chamber and aimed at overcoming the consequences of the global financial crisis.