E-DOCUMENT FLOW IN COUNTRIES OF EURASIAN ECONOMIC UNION: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS AND WAYS TO UNIFY
The transition to a new stage of social development - information society - defines special requirements for the state, citizens and business interaction through the introduction and use of electronic documents. E-document flow is now widespread in many countries. At the same time, the issues of development and unification of e-document flow in the Eurasian segment are considered insufficiently. In this regard, a research analysis of the current legislation and regulatory and methodological support in the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is needed in order to develop recommendations to eliminate the identification of terminological and other legal contradictions. This paper analyzes the main problems of legal support of electronic document circulation in the EAEU countries. The article compares of the e-document definitions in the legal documents of the EAEU countries. It is noted that in the EAEU countries there is no unity in the structure and content of the basic national laws on e-document flow. There is the discrepancy in the legal norms for the e-document flow organization at the basic level, for example, in understanding such concepts as electronic document and electronic signature. It is shown, for example, that almost all EAEU member states recognize e-documents as evidence in court and as subject to correct registration equating it to paper documents (except cases when law refrains e-document use only). This research concludes that it is necessary to substantiate e-document flow technologies convergence on national levels through their introduction and dissemination. To do this, an interstate program for the development of cross-border e-document flow should be adopted, for example, within the framework of the EAEU digital agenda. The implementation of specific activities related to the harmonization of legislation, the formation of standards and ensuring the compatibility of electronic documents created in different countries provide for necessary conditions to develop and disseminate cross-border e-document flow between organizations.