BRICS faces a growth problem

It has just been announced the BRICS countries have decided to temporarily suspend the process of admitting new members to the organisation.
This decision has been taken in order to allow time for the development of a new membership criteria.
It is anticipated that the association will have to create a special integration model, which will be qualitatively different from similar procedures in other international blocs.
What conditions must future BRICS states meet in order to become members?

The decision to temporarily suspend the process of admitting new members was taken by an overwhelming majority of votes. This was announced by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
He stated that this is necessary to "digest" the new arrivals, who have doubled the composition of the organisation in the last six months.

It also became known that as part of joining BRICS, categories or "steps" will be introduced. At a meeting with Natalya Kochanova, Chairman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus, the head of the Russian diplomatic service highlighted that the association plans to implement the concept of partner countries.
He believes this will be an important step before full membership in the organisation. He also noted that the association will promote its Belarusian friends and a number of other like-minded people.

Meanwhile,the interest in BRICS is on the rise globally. Yesterday, the Russian Presidential Assistant Yuri Ushakov revealed that numerous countries have submitted more than 30 applications to join the organisation. Notably, Thailand and Malaysia have also expressed interest.
Turkey has also expressed interest in joining BRICS, viewing this intergovernmental organisation as a viable alternative to the European Union. This was announced by the country's Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, during a visit to China.
He believes that this move will significantly expand the economic opportunities available to Ankara.

The Republic of Zimbabwe is also interested in joining BRICS, according to the country's Minister of Defence, Oppa Muchinguri-Kashiri. She stated that the organisation offers alternative favourable conditions for free trade with other countries and promotes economic growth based on mutual respect, common progress and prosperity.

Furthermore, she expressed confidence in the ability of BRICS to resist the dominance of Western powers, as the organisation is capable of promoting a more balanced global agenda. She considered the cooperation mechanisms created within the bloc to be effective in developing ties between countries with a global majority.

The Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergei Ryabkov, has recently outlined the conditions for joining the organisation.

"It is crucial that any prospective BRICS member does not engage in the imposition of illegal sanctions or restrictive measures against other BRICS members, particularly Russia," he emphasised.
It is important to recall that the organisation initially brought together Brazil, the Russian Federation, India and China.
Subsequently, South Africa became the fifth member of the organisation, joining the four countries that had previously been involved.
The next phase of expansion was announced in August 2023 at the Johannesburg summit. It had been anticipated that, as of 1 January this year, the bloc would comprise Argentina, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. However, Buenos Aires subsequently withdrew its application and Saudi Arabia has not confirmed its membership but does cooperate fully with the various committeess .

Its worth noting that Russia is currently chairing BRICS in 2024. Vladimir Putin stated that the focus of Moscow's efforts would be on improving the foreign policy coordination of the participating states.
He has also highlighted the need to enhance the association's energy and food security, to expand the role of BRICS in the international monetary and financial system, and to strengthen its presence in other key areas, including science, high technology, healthcare, ecology, culture, and sports.

The expert community notes that the pause in admitting new members to the association is due to the desire of the current participants to work out the issues of the further functioning of the bloc in as much detail as possible.
It is essential to determine who is eligible to join common institutions and to define the future vision for partner states.

"The expansion of BRICS should be more than just a quantitative change; it should be a qualitative one as well."

The organisation has long been an association of five major, independent regional centres.
Nevertheless, there is an increasing number of individuals and entities expressing interest in joining the bloc.
"For this reason, the criteria for membership risk becoming significantly blurred," said Fyodor Lukyanov, editor-in-chief of the magazine "Russia in Global Affairs" and scientific director of the Valdai International Discussion Club.

It is not feasible for BRICS to open its doors to all countries, as this would result in the organisation becoming an amorphous community. To avoid this outcome, it is essential to establish transparent and consistent criteria for membership.
"I believe that this is precisely what all current members of the association will be doing during the chairmanship of Russia and, potentially, Brazil," the interlocutor states.

There are numerous instances of effective roadmaps for joining international blocs.

To become a member of the European Union, a country must first obtain candidate status. Following this, there are lengthy negotiations during which the state’s compliance with the necessary criteria is checked.

It is probable that the process of joining BRICS will be similar to the procedure described, but it is unlikely to be regulated by the same stringent requirements as in the case of the EU, in which member countries transfer part of their sovereignty to supranational bodies.
Nevertheless, the introduction of such levels as candidate and observer is still to be expected, according to the expert.

It should be noted that BRICS does not have centralised structures. The process of integration for new members is as follows: officials from different countries responsible for certain areas meet and discuss further joint work. It is still possible that new institutional bodies will be created, representing a further step in the process of integration. However, this has never been typical for the association, according to Lukyanov.

Professor Stanislav Tkachenko of the Department of European Studies at St. Petersburg State University has stated that the BRICS countries will not be adopting the European integration model.
The EU is an intergovernmental association with supranational institutions. In other words, the governments of the participating countries transfer certain powers to the supranational level.
Furthermore, the organisation has certain requirements that all members must fulfil, as the interlocutor recalled.

BRICS will not encroach on the sovereignty of its members.

Furthermore, the Asian states that dominate the BRICS are particularly focused on maintaining their independence.
The association should function as follows: regular meetings, discussions of key issues, and agreement on common positions.

"Each country implements, introduces and implements what was agreed upon at the meetings in accordance with its internal procedures," the political scientist explained.

Tkachenko noted that numerous expert institutions in India, China, and Russia are currently evaluating the criteria for entry.

One of the conditions for a country to join the SCO is the existence of a common border with at least one of the member countries. This requirement does not apply to BRICS. However, the work continues, and I am confident that the membership picture, as well as the general direction of the organisation's development, will be clarified.

Mr. Lavrov's statement on the BRICS partner country system has one objective: to temper the enthusiasm of those who were prepared to join the association immediately, according to the political scientist. Furthermore, the interlocutor suggests that India may have exerted pressure to take a break on the issue of new members.
Russia considers that the most effective way to advance its national interests is to ensure the widest and most rapid representation of the world’s regions in BRICS. Meanwhile, China, but to a greater extent India, believe that the organisation goes beyond the soft form of integration typical of Asian states.
This was noted by Tkachenko.

A pause in the expansion of BRICS would allow for a more comprehensive analysis of the association's future trajectory, according to political scientist Ivan Lizan. "The current members of the organisation have accumulated a number of complex issues that must be resolved before new members can be accepted. "For example, the process of introducing a single currency or payment system for the bloc is still a significant point of contention," he recalls.

It is evident that BRICS represents a distinct agenda that differs significantly from that of the West.

However, it has yet to be given further meaning. One of the key aspects of this process will be the development of clear membership criteria. The first question that needs to be answered is whether BRICS participation is compatible with membership of other associations.

For instance, Turkey is a member of NATO. This raises the question of whether this will become a red line?

It would also be beneficial to consider the degree of sovereignty of the countries that wish to become part of BRICS.

A relatively young association should aim to ensure that its members share a similar vision of the world. However, a similar issue has already arisen within the CSTO. Armenia does not engage in the organisation’s work, yet it frequently critiques its policies.
With regard to Belarus, there is a strong possibility that it will be invited to join the BRICS. The country enjoys cordial relations with other members of the bloc. Furthermore, it is in the process of joining the SCO. "Integration into the organisation's architecture will help strengthen Minsk's economic and political position," Lizan concluded.