Russia suggests harmonizing visa policy in Customs Union
Konstantin Romodanovsky emphasized that migration is one of the most important components of the Single Economic Space. He recalled that the agreements for cooperation in the field of labor migration, and on the status of migrant workers and members of their families entered into force in the SES early this year. However, some problems emerged in the process of formation of the Single Economic Space, he noted. "The states have different approaches to visa policy and the issues of social security and pension. Even the forms of documents differ. In Russia we have domestic and overseas passports. In Belarus it is one passport. In Kazakhstan there is an internal card and passport for overseas travel. We need to harmonize national approaches not only in the area of migration but also in social security so that citizens of our states have equal social assurance throughout the SES," Konstantin Romodanovsky said.
According to Konstantin Romodanovsky, the countries must develop a common migration policy towards nationals of third countries. "This is a serious problem and we have to solve it together. We will need to set up a mechanism for the full and consistent control over stay of third-country nationals on the territory of the Customs Union, and to establish an effective system to counter illegal migration," said the head of the Russian migration service.
