Regulatory Competition Within the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union: A Comparative Legal Analysis

Abstract:

This article investigates the potential for regulatory competition within the legal framework of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). By comparing the legal structures of the EU and the EEU, this article outlines the ways in which regulatory competition is embedded in each of the legal frameworks of these integration areas.

The empirical focus of this article is based upon the respective founding treaties, tax law and corporate law within each of the integration initiatives. The analysis shows that the EEU is attempting to emulate the integration process and the legal structures of the EU in several ways. However, due to the centralist tendencies within the EEU, there is little space for regulatory competition to emerge on the general institutional tier.

The questions of whether and to what extent the EEU’s legal framework will effectively enable regulatory competition are greatly dependent upon the particular area of law that is applied.