Kazakhstan has assumed the rotating chairmanship of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) for 2026, pledging to focus on digital transformation, logistics integration, and the removal of internal trade barriers across the bloc.
In a statement published on December 31, 2025, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev outlined five key priorities for Kazakhstan’s EAEU presidency. The EAEU includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia, and facilitates the free movement of goods, services, capital, and labor among its members.
Artificial Intelligence and Economic Integration
Tokayev identified artificial intelligence (AI) as a vital tool for deepening integration within the bloc. AI technologies, he said, are already being used to forecast trade flows and assess the impact of tariffs and trade agreements on member economies.
Kazakhstan, which has set a national goal of becoming a digital nation, expressed readiness to share its expertise with other EAEU members in areas such as AI, digital regulation, and economic transformation. Tokayev proposed the adoption of a Joint Statement on the Responsible Development of Artificial Intelligence at the 2026 Eurasian Economic Forum in Astana. The document would define a new framework for digital cooperation within the bloc.
Positioning the EAEU as a Eurasian Logistics Hub
Highlighting the EAEU’s geographic position as a natural bridge between East and West, Tokayev called for transforming the bloc into a leading logistics hub for the Eurasian continent. He emphasized the need to modernize transport, customs, and logistics infrastructure, and to develop international transport corridors and multimodal transport solutions.
He also proposed an integrated, AI-based cargo flow management system across the EAEU to reduce delivery times, cut costs, and enhance the bloc’s global competitiveness in logistics.
Digitalizing Industry and Agriculture
Calling industry and agriculture the economic foundation of the EAEU, Tokayev urged deeper cooperation to produce globally competitive products. While financial mechanisms for joint projects already exist, he argued that more emphasis should be placed on innovation-led initiatives.
He proposed launching demonstration centers, automation startups, and competence hubs to drive digitalization at both enterprise and farm levels.
Barrier-Free Trade as a Core Principle
Tokayev stressed the elimination of administrative and regulatory barriers within the bloc as a central priority. He criticized artificial restrictions on trade, constraints on the movement of citizens, and long freight queues at borders.
He also warned against the use of customs procedures and regulatory controls, including sanitary, veterinary, and phytosanitary measures, as tools of political or economic leverage. To address this, he proposed deploying AI to monitor legislative initiatives across the EAEU and flag potential internal trade barriers at an early stage.
Expanding External Economic Ties
Kazakhstan’s chairmanship will also focus on expanding the EAEU’s external partnerships. In 2025, the bloc signed Free Trade Area agreements with Mongolia and Indonesia and concluded an Economic Partnership Agreement with the United Arab Emirates. Tokayev said greater attention will be paid to building economic ties with countries in the Global South, the Arab world, Southeast Asia, Africa, and regional economic organizations.
Macroeconomic Context
Tokayev’s agenda is being launched against a backdrop of solid macroeconomic performance across the EAEU. According to Alexey Vedev, Director of the Macroeconomic Policy Department at the Eurasian Economic Commission, the bloc’s GDP grew by 17.8%, nearly $1 trillion in absolute terms between 2015 and 2024. The EAEU’s share of the global economy rose from 3.7% to 4.1%, with member state growth rates surpassing the global average in recent years.
Summing up Kazakhstan’s vision, Tokayev said the country would work to strengthen the effectiveness, relevance, and long-term viability of Eurasian economic integration during its 2026 chairmanship.
