International legal framework for energy cooperation between the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union

Introduction. Energy cooperation of the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union plays a crucial role in the framework of the Eurasian economic integration. The EAEU members set as their goal the creation of common energy markets of the Union by 2025.
The legal doctrine comprises different opinions regarding the legal nature of the EAEU and the EAEU law, which is important for the analysis of international legal aspects of the cooperation of the EAEU members in the energy sector, as well as for the formation of the EAEU energy law.
The article analyzes the energy provisions of the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union, the role of national legislation and bilateral international treaties of the EAEU members in the energy sector.

Materials and methods. The EAEU legal acts, previous acts of the EurAsEC, the existing bilateral international treaties of the EAEU members in the energy sector, the works of prominent authors affecting Eurasian integration have been used. The research methodology was based on the following theoretical methods of cognition: analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, analogy, as well as special methods of cognition of legal phenomena and processes: comparative legal and formal legal.

Results. The study summarizes the legal acts of the EAEU in the field of energy of various legal nature, highlights the gaps and weaknesses of the energy provisions of the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union, identifies differences in the approaches of the EAEU and EurAsEC, analyzes the provisions of the Treaty regarding national legislation and bilateral international treaties of the EAEU members in the field of energy.

Discussion and conclusions. The acts of the EAEU law in the field of energy are considered as the EAEU energy law which, as well as the European Union energy law, is a part of the international energy law.
The identified gaps and weaknesses in the energy provisions of the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union can be used to improve the EAEU energy law.
Despite the development of multilateral regulation of energy cooperation through the EAEU legal acts aimed at the formation of common EAEU energy markets the national legislation of the EAEU members remains important in the field of energy and a lot of work will be required to harmonize and unify it. In addition the bilateral international treaties of the EAEU members governing energy cooperation are of great importance.

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