2015, which came into force in January, is headquartered in Moscow, the Eurasian Economic Union, of which Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Armenia are members. After the Eurasian Economic Union was established, GOST-R Certificate of Conformity was requested for some products in exports to Russia. However, when new countries joined the Eurasian Economic Union, this document was repealed and the EAC Customs Union Certificate, called the Eurasian Union Certificate, was put into effect.
The number of laboratories and certification bodies that were initially permitted to issue the EAC Customs Union Certificate is as follows:
- 1518 laboratory and 744 certification body in the Russian Federation
- 232 laboratory and 49 certification body in Belarus
- 207 laboratory and 73 certification body in Kazakhstan
- 1 laboratory in Armenia
The GOST-R Certificate of Conformity, which was previously implemented, was applied by Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. GOST means the norm in Russian. The letter R stands for Russia. However, with the joining of Armenia and Kyrgyzstan in 2015, the Eurasian Economic Union expanded and the EAC Customs Union Certificate was started to be sought for export transactions to these countries. In short, EAC Customs Union Certificate is the general name of the documents that should be obtained by the companies that want to export to Eurasian Customs Union countries. At this point, there are different certifications according to the type of product to be exported.
EAC certification is also called as Customs Union Certificate or Customs Union Declaration in this new form. This document is required for products that affect the health of people under the Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights in Russia and is a kind of quality certificate.
The GOST-R certificate, which was valid before, proved that it was suitable for hygienic conditions for the foods that people and especially children eat, the clothes they wear, the cosmetic products that come into contact with the skin, food packaging materials, food production equipment, furniture and chemical components of metals. Today, the EAC certificate that replaces this document has the same characteristics.
The main fields that require this document can be listed as follows:
- All kinds of food and beverages in contact with human body
- Perfume, fragrance and similar cosmetic products
- Articles of apparel, towels, sheets and linen, other household textiles in contact with the human body
- All machinery and equipment used in food production
- Packaging materials used in the packaging of foods
- MDF or chipboard-like artificial wood materials used in furniture
- All kinds of toys and supplies
- Household chemicals
- Paints and other chemical products for human use
- Industrial machines in terms of noise and vibrations
- Electrical and electronic devices creating electromagnetic fields
Like the GOST-R Certificate, the EAC Certificate, which has recently been introduced, requires the products to be sent to these countries to be tested and analyzed in laboratories authorized by the Federal Organization of Technical Regulation and Metrology and issued by certification companies accredited by the Russian Federation.
The fields where the EAC Certificate is used are:
- Mandatory at Russian customs
- Retail of textiles
- Constructions (to obtain a settlement permit after construction checks)
- Places such as industrial kitchens and laundry facilities (to obtain a work permit)
- Production facilities (for obtaining work and production permits)
In line with the agreements with the Russian Federation, the countries where the EAC Certificate applies are: Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan.
In short, the EAC Certificate, the certification services implemented by the Russian Federation, means that the products to be sent to the member states comply with the state standards. It is an official document and proves that the products have the quality and safety set by standards and technical regulations. The goods and production principles to be sent to Russia are approved for compliance with Russian security standards.