2003 agreement on creation proposed Single Economic Space (single market) of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine
The 2003 SES agreement committed Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine to creating a single market, later absorbed into the Eurasian Economic Community framework.
Key Facts
- Date signed
- 19 September 2003
- Entered into force
- 20 May 2004
- Signatory states
- Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine
- Ukrainian parliament vote (for)
- 266 in favour, 51 against (22 May 2003)
- Incorporated into EurAsEC
- June 2006
- Ukraine withdrawal effective
- 21 July 2023
By the Numbers
Cause → Event → Consequence
Post-Soviet states Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine sought deeper economic integration to facilitate the free movement of goods, services, capital, and labor, building on existing regional cooperation frameworks without establishing new supranational governing bodies.
On 19 September 2003, the four countries signed the Single Economic Space Agreement, envisioning a supranational trade and tariffs commission to be headquartered in Kyiv and initially led by a Kazakhstani representative, with an open membership structure and a long-term goal of a shared currency.
Viktor Yushchenko's 2004 Ukrainian presidential victory weakened the project as he prioritized EU membership over the SES. In June 2006, the initiative was folded into the Eurasian Economic Community. Ukraine ultimately withdrew from the agreement effective 21 July 2023.
Political Outcome
Agreement signed and entered into force in 2004; incorporated into the Eurasian Economic Community in 2006. Ukraine withdrew in 2023.
Fragmented post-Soviet trade relations among the four states
Formal multilateral framework for economic integration, later subsumed by Eurasian Economic Community