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Minister of Finance of Ukraine met Secretary General of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Estonia 

October 5, 2021, Minister of Finance of Ukraine Sergii Marchenko met with the Secretary General of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Estonia Merike Saks.

The parties discussed the forecasts of economic development of both countries, the fight against COVID-19, priorities for the Budget of Ukraine for 2022, customs reforms, and the development of cooperation between Ukraine and Estonia.

Minister of Finance of Ukraine told about the current economic situation in the country.

"Despite the challenges and high level of uncertainty for the Ukrainian economy, the government managed to ensure macroeconomic and macro-financial stability. Real GDP of Ukraine in the second quarter of 2021 increased by 5.4% compared to the same period last year", - said Sergii Marchenko.

The parties also shared their experiences in the fight against COVID-19. Minister of Finance of Ukraine spoke about the status of vaccination of the population, quarantine, and the increase in state budget spending on healthcare in 2022.

"State budget expenditures for healthcare next year are planned at UAH 192.5 billion, which is almost UAH 36 billion more than this year," said Sergii Marchenko.

At the same time, the Minister added that in addition to healthcare the priority areas of the Budget 2022 are education, infrastructure, digitalization, national defense and security.

Merike Saks spoke about Estonia's experience in customs reform and anti-smuggling. In particular, the sides discussed the Estonian system GoSwift - a system for control and clearance with the introduction of electronic queuing. In Ukraine, it is planned to test run such a system and develop its own application, through which customs clearance of shipments to Ukraine will take place. The Secretary General noted that Estonia will continue to support Ukraine in customs reform.

Summing up, Sergii Marchenko made a proposal to create a separate platform between the Ministries of Finance of Ukraine and Estonia to exchange experiences and strengthen cooperation.