The Verkhovna Rada adopted a law on the full application of EU customs legislation

The Verkhovna Rada adopted a law that brings Ukraine closer to the full application of EU customs legislation. 293 People’s Deputies voted for the document.

On Thursday, August 22, the draft Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to the Customs Code of Ukraine regarding the implementation of some provisions of the EU Customs Code” was adopted in general, the Ministry of Finance reported.

In fact, this Council completes the implementation of the main part of the EU customs law (EU acquis) into the legislation of Ukraine.

“The adoption of the draft law aims to provide an opportunity for domestic business to adapt to the updated rules in the field of foreign economic activity in a timely manner and to carry out a “soft” transition from the current to the new Customs Code of Ukraine, which will already be fully in line with the EU Customs Code,” – stressed the Deputy Minister of Finance on issues of European integration Yuriy Draganchuk.

The next changes to the customs legislation of Ukraine will be the adoption of the new Customs Code of Ukraine, which will be completely based on the EU Customs Code.

In particular, the bill proposes the following changes:

• introduction of the concept of customs representation, similar to the one operating in the EU countries;

• implementation of the gradual transition of enterprises to a system of authorizations similar to the European one;

• introduction of the European model of types of customs warehouses and expansion of the list of permitted operations.

The opportunities for authorized economic operators (AEOs) to confirm the sufficiency of their financial status have also been expanded, and a European approach to the application of customs regimes has been introduced.

To strengthen the anti-corruption component in the customs authorities, the law provides for the introduction of two key measures:

• publication on the official website of the State Customs Service of depersonalized texts of decisions based on the results of complaints consideration within three days from the date of their adoption,

• giving customs authorities the right to exchange with customs authorities of foreign countries information on the customs value of goods in electronic form in the format of international standards.

It should be noted that the changes will enter into force 6 months after the official publication of the law. During this time, the Cabinet of Ministers and the Ministry of Finance must approve all necessary by-laws.

However, certain provisions will enter into force on the day following the day of publication of the law. We are talking, for example, about advantages for AEOs in priority arrival and crossing the border, as well as exclusion for all enterprises from the terms of delivery to the border of the time of goods being in the electronic queue.

Reference. Customs reform is provided for by Ukraine’s plan within the framework of the Ukraine Facility, the National Revenue Strategy for 2024-2030, and is also one of the structural beacons within the IMF Extended Fund Facility program.