Council of CIS heads of government to discuss integration issues in Chisinau

The agenda of a regular session of the Council of the CIS heads of government to be held in Chisinau on October 7th includes 22 key issues.

The CIS Executive Committee reported that the premiers would in particular discuss a package of documents on improving the efficiency of bodies of the Commonwealth and the legal status of officials of the CIS bodies. A draft resolution on the implementation of first priority measures in 2000-2001 and proposals on prospective tasks of establishing a free trade zone taking into account the developing economic processes in the world community will be considered.

In addition to that, the session will consider an agreement on cooperation between the CIS countries in the sphere of energy efficiency and energy saving and the protocol on introducing changes and amendments to the rules of determining the origin of produce by third countries in the granting of tariff preferences within the common system of privileges. The draft concept of harmonising national systems of CIS air transportation will also be discussed.

Other documents to be considered include an agreement on cooperation in returning under-age children to the states of their permanent residence, a protocol on introducing changes to the agreement on cooperation in ecology and environmental protection and regulations on the Co-ordination Council of the CIS countries for informatisation at the Regional Commonwealth in the sphere of communications and the Interstate Co-ordination Council on scientific-technical information and a new edition of the regulation on the Foundation for Development of Interstate Exchange of Scientific-Technical Information.

Projects to be discussed include: an interstate programme on joint measures in the fight against crime in 2003-2004, a concept of cooperation in combating illegal drug trafficking, psychotropic substances and precursors, the decision to establish an office of the Anti-terror Centre in the Central Asia region and the programme of enhancing cooperation in border control.

At issue will be the functioning of the Mir interstate TV and radio company in founder countries of the company in the future, the holding of the 4th international sports games of the CIS member states in Astana in 2003, the course of implementation of provisions of the plan of measures within the programme of activities on CIS development for the period of up to 2005.

CIS heads of government will have to discuss parameters of a single budget of CIS bodies for 2003 financed at the expense of budgetary means, the sum of 2003 allocation of funds for the creation and development of a unified system of air defence.

Other issues on the agenda of the session will be the allocation of sums for implementation of the programme of major activities on interstate cataloguing of equipment for the armed forces of the CIS member states in 2003 and the formation of an information-analysis system in the headquarters for co-ordination of military cooperation between the CIS states.