Preparations for the 5th Eurasian Economic Forum, which will take place on May 28-29 in Astana, are entering the final stretch. The work of the Eurasian Economic Commission's sectoral branches was discussed at a press conference held on May 13 at the Commission's press center and attended by five EEC ministers.
Bakhyt Sultanov, Chairman of the EEF-2026 Program Committee and EEC Minister in charge of Economy and Financial Policy, emphasized that the Forum's topic is aligned with the priorities of Kazakhstan's chairmanship of the Eurasian Economic Union, as outlined by President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in his address to the Heads of the EAEU Member States. The event topic is: “The EAEU in the Global Digital Race: Betting on Artificial Intelligence”.
According to Bakhyt Sultanov, his branch will hold three sessions, one of which will focus on modern solutions in the tourism sector, another on developing the labor market using digital tools, and a third session will deal with the experience of international organizations and companies in developing digital transformation in cross-border transportation, which should be held jointly with the Commission's transport branch. At the latter session, the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the EEC and the UN is planned.
“All organizational mechanisms have been launched, the program has been formed. We are preparing for an open, substantive and interesting dialogue. I invite you to actively cover the Eurasian Economic Forum," Bakhyt Sultanov addressed the media.
As noted by Gohar Barseghyan, the EEC Minister in charge of Industry and Agro-Industrial Complex, two panel sessions would be devoted to industrial issues. At one of them, participants will consider current issues related to the industrial cooperation mechanism operating in the EAEU. The second session will examine global trends in the digital transformation of industry, taking into account the experience of the EAEU and UNIDO.
"Last year, UNIDO and EAEU signed a joint statement, and now we have a fairly busy bilateral agenda," Gohar Barseghyan shared.
The third panel session of this branch is scheduled to address the topic of digital modernization of the Union's agricultural market.
"We are currently actively working to extend financial support measures to the agro-industrial complex, and I am confident that we will be able to discuss all related issues at the EEF-2026. I would like to invite all interested parties, especially business representatives, to the discussion,” the EEC Minister concluded.
Alexander Subbotin, the EEC Minister in charge of Technical Regulation, stated that his branch would organize two sessions. The basic idea of the discussion on the digital product safety ecosystem is to discuss how digital technologies and artificial intelligence can be applied in technical regulation within the EAEU.
“It is important that representatives of national standardization bodies, government agencies, and international organizations will take part in the session. This will allow us to discuss the topic not from a theoretical perspective, but from various practical perspectives,” Alexander Subbotin emphasized.
The panel session "Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence in the Sphere of SPS Measures – Innovative Solutions" will discuss, among other things, the prospects for using digital technologies and artificial intelligence to ensure the sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population, veterinary-sanitary, and quarantine phytosanitary security within the EAEU.
Speaking about his branch's events at the Forum, Arzybek Kozhoshev, the EEC Minister in charge of Energy and Infrastructure, mentioned: “In the context of geopolitical turbulence, the importance of Eurasian routes – rail, road, and air – is increasing every day. The main goal is to reduce delivery times and costs for transport companies."
In relation to the transport and infrastructure sector, Arzybek Kozhoshev identified three factors, i.e. timing, cost, and stability of supply. Related issues are planned to be discussed with businesses at panel sessions. In addition, representatives of several international organizations will share their experiences in reducing costs, improving safety, and discuss the impact of digital technologies on the transportation of goods. According to the EEC Minister, this will become a reliable foundation for the development of joint projects between the Commission and business communities of the Union countries.
Four sessions are planned by Andrey Slepnev, the EEC Minister in charge of Trade, including “Eurasian Trade and Logistics”. The EEC Minister highlighted its importance first and foremost.
“Today, international trade flows are changing significantly due to the growing role of intercontinental trade routes and regionalization. And in the EAEU space, these two trends are organically combined. Therefore, we will discuss the potential effects of the intersection of Eurasian transport corridors and the extensive network of trade agreements that our Union is building," Andrey Slepnev emphasized.
The climate agenda remains in focus, and against the backdrop of decisions being taken by the European Union and China, the issues of carbon footprint calculation, unified methodologies, and the prevention of barriers are becoming even more pressing.
Two practical digital sessions will be dedicated directly to the Forum's topic. One of them, "Digital Commerce in the EAEU," aims to scale up national solutions in the field of electronic document management, smart contracts, and artificial intelligence within the Union. The other – “Digital Labeling” – is related to the fact that labeling is already becoming not just a traceability tool, but also, in many ways, a means of monitoring the legality of goods circulation.
The organizers sent out more than two thousand invitations to potential Forum participants. The panel sessions will feature heads of sectoral ministries from Union countries and observer states, as well as more than 70 delegates from third countries, including the United States, China, Azerbaijan, Vietnam, Egypt, Mongolia, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and several others.
The Forum will be given additional weight by the heads of UN agencies (UNCTAD, UNIDO, UNECE, UNESCAP, UNCITRAL), leading international organizations – WTO, WHO, OECD and others. The largest regional associations – ASEAN, BRICS, SCO, and the CIS – will take part in the Forum.
Twelve important integration documents are being prepared for signing on the sidelines of the Forum: memoranda, agreements, protocols, and plans for joint activities.
