Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The Eurasian Economic Commission is preparing a list of joint measures to support the metallurgical industry within the EAEU in the context of the coronavirus pandemic.

On 15 October 2020,  the second Eurasian industry conference was held at the EEC site, at which the following issues were discussed: a) the state of the metallurgical industry, taking into account the coronavirus pandemic; b) adoption of possible joint measures to stimulate the demand for high value added metal products within the EAEU; c) the problem of overcapacity; d) energy efficiency of metallurgical production.

Metallurgical production in the EAEU in the 1st half of 2020, compared to the same period in 2019, decreased by 2.9%, cooperative supplies decreased by 17.6%.

To stimulate the consumption of metallurgical products within the Union and actively promote to foreign markets in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, the EEC proposes:

1) Together with the EDB, work out mechanisms to support projects with integration potential. These measures will contribute to the deepening of industrial cooperation, ensuring the utilization of metallurgical capacities, stimulating the demand for metallurgical products of high value added in the Union;

2) take joint measures to counter new global challenges in the industry, fight counterfeiting and stimulate demand for metallurgical products within the EAEU;

3) develop the digitalization of the industry, commercialize existing and jointly developed products;

4) create testing laboratories on the territory of the EAEU to confirm the conformity of Eurasian products in third countries. Such laboratories can carry out examination of various types of metallurgical products. This direction is very important for Kazakhstan, Russia, and Kyrgyzstan.

In general, experts note that stable progress in metallurgy is directly related not only to technological competencies, but also to the level of cooperation within the Union, removing obstacles and barriers, jointly taking measures to support the industry, and developing innovations and human capital.