Kyiv Post (kyivpost.com) - Business New Europe: Customs Union popular in most post-Soviet states, finds study

A substantial majority of the population in most of the potential Customs Union member states is in favour of joining the Russian-led bloc, according to a study by the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB).

The EDB Integration Barometer finds that the highest level of support is in Central Asia. A full 77 percent of Uzbek respondents say they are in favour of entry to the Customs Union and the Single Economic Space, the trade block Moscow is currently pushing so hard to fill with former Soviet states — especially those to the west that are flirting with the EU.

In Tajikistan, 75 percent of respondents would be happy to join. In Kyrgyzstan, where the government has said it plans to sign up by 2015 but has recently provoked suggestions that it is dragging its feet, 72 percent of respondents would like to see the deal sealed. The figures are even higher than in the existing member states, Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan, where public support is at 65 percent , 67 percent , and 73 percent.