Effective customs functioning is a key priority of the Ministry of Finance, - Sergii Marchenko during the meeting with the G7 Ambassadors
Minister of Finance of Ukraine Sergii Marchenko and Deputy Minister of Finance for European Integration Yurii Draganchuk presented the vision and plans for the further implementation of the customs reform to the Ambassadors and representatives of the missions of the G7 countries in Ukraine.
The discussions focused on the steps taken by the Government of Ukraine to develop and reform the State Customs Service, as well as the concept of transparent selection of customs leadership.
"Reforming the State Customs Service is one of Ukraine's priorities in the process of EU integration. We aim to transform Ukrainian customs into the eastern border of Europe in line with EU standards and at the same time strengthen its security function. Even in the context of a full-scale war, Ukraine is successfully implementing such changes with the support of international partners. We are interested in building an efficient, high-tech and transparent customs service, which requires time, balanced decisions and consolidated support," said Sergii Marchenko.
Since the beginning of 2024, customs revenues to the State Budget of Ukraine have reached about UAH 329 billion (as of the end of July 2024). Under martial law, all domestic resources are directed to the defence and security sector. In this context, the effective and transparent implementation of the budget plan by the customs is an important contribution to financing the needs of the Armed Forces.
The customs reform is envisaged in the Ukraine Plan under the EU Ukraine Facility, the National Revenue Strategy for 2024-2030, and is also one of the structural benchmarks under the IMF Extended Fund Facility (EFF) Arrangement.
"The Ministry of Finance continues to actively work on the implementation of the EU customs legislation and the development of the new Customs Code, as well as on the introduction of IT and other common customs procedures to develop foreign economic activity and simplify business. I am convinced that further support of the transformation of the Ukrainian customs with the support of international experts will be crucial for the effectiveness of this process," added Yuriy Draganchuk.
Ambassadors and representatives of the G7 embassies in Ukraine noted the transparency of the Government in the developed plan of measures and the process of reforms implementation, and assured to continue detailed discussions on the necessary steps for reform.
The discussion was attended by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Ukraine Bridget A. Brink, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Ukraine Kuninori Matsuda, Deputy Head of the Mission of the Embassy of Italy in Ukraine Francesco Pesce, Chargé d'Affaires of the United Kingdom Nicholas Harrocks, Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of the French Republic in Ukraine Benjamin Roehrig, Head of the Development Department of the Embassy of Canada Hong-Won Yu, Head of the Local and Human Development Section at the EU Delegation to Ukraine Henrik Huitfeldt, and Second Secretary for Political Affairs at the Embassy of Germany Milena Kleine.