The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the draft of the new Customs Code, prepared on the basis of EU legislation with the participation of experts from the European Union. Harmonization of customs legislation is one of the key priorities of Ukraine on the way to joining the European Union, reports State Customs Service of Ukraine.
“Harmonization of customs legislation is one of the priorities on the way to Ukraine’s membership in the European Union. The main task in the customs sphere is to complete the development of a new edition of the Customs Code of Ukraine in cooperation with business and experts, which will correspond to the provisions of the EU Customs Code, and to submit it for consideration by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine for further approval by the Verkhovna Rada, the message says.
The Government Office of European Integration has been instructed to send the text of the project to the European Commission for its assessment. To organize consultations with the public, the Ministry of Finance will create a working group of representatives of public organizations, associations and unions (up to 15 people), who during the last three years have been engaged in improving the business climate and protecting the rights of entrepreneurs in Ukraine. After the assessment by the European Commission, the Ministry of Finance together with the State Customs Service, this working group and with the support of EU experts will finalize the document.
The adoption of the code is expected to allow:
- harmonize customs procedures with European standards, which will simplify and speed up trade with EU countries and reduce business costs;
- optimize production and logistics chains of companies, as there will be no need to take into account different approaches in the application of customs rules.
Currently, Ukraine has fulfilled 91% of the customs obligations defined by the Association Agreement with the EU. At the same time, the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund, the World Customs Organization and the business community note achievements in the field of digitalization, the fight against corruption and the growth of customs revenues.
