On October 8, 2024, the 8th meeting of the Subcommittee on Customs Cooperation of the Ukraine-EU Association Committee in Trade Configuration took place. This subcommittee was established in accordance with the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union. At the meeting, the Ukrainian delegation, led by Deputy Head of the State Customs Service Vladyslav Suvorov, presented the results of the work towards European integration and reform of the customs system in the country.

Key participants on the Ukrainian side included Oleg Nikolaychuk, Deputy Head of the State Customs Service for Digital Development, Oleksandr Moskalenko, Director of the Department of Customs Policy at the Ministry of Finance, and representatives of other state agencies. Representatives of the European Union, including Matthias Petschke, Head of the TAXUD A unit at the European Commission, also took an active part.

In his opening speech, Vladyslav Suvorov emphasized that despite the war, Ukraine continues to move towards integration with the EU. A significant amount of work has been carried out, including the adoption of two strategic documents: the National Revenue Strategy until 2030 and the Long-Term Strategic Plan for the Digital Development of the State Customs Service. These documents are aimed at aligning Ukraine's customs legislation with European standards and improving the customs IT infrastructure.

The EU side noted the significant progress Ukraine has made, especially in digitalization, customs system reform, and the fight against corruption. It was emphasized that Ukraine's customs service has made great strides in implementing customs information exchange systems and the NCTS system, which is a key step towards full integration with European customs standards.

The implementation of the Authorized Economic Operators (AEO) program was also discussed. To date, Ukraine has already registered 60 AEOs, but further work is needed for full recognition of this status in Europe. Another important aspect was the discussion of the use of NCTS Phase 5, to which Ukraine was one of the first countries of the Convention on Common Transit to join.

Oleg Nikolaychuk, Deputy Head of the State Customs Service for Digital Development, noted that Ukraine has implemented three new customs IT systems and completed the development of another system in accordance with MASP-C technical specifications. Ukraine's Single Window system is now ready for integration with the EU Single Window system.

Particular attention was paid to anti-corruption measures being implemented at the customs service level. Two major laws were adopted, which are expected to significantly reduce corruption risks and improve the professionalism of Ukrainian customs officers. The National Customs Digitalization Plan, developed until 2026, plays a key role in this process.

Other topics of discussion included the exchange of preliminary customs information with the EU, the provision of international technical assistance to Ukraine, the verification of EUR.1 certificates, and cooperation with the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) in the fight against customs violations. Further cooperation with European partners on intellectual property protection was also discussed.

As a result of the meeting, it was decided to hold additional technical consultations on a number of issues related to customs clearance of international postal items, the risk management system, and the verification of product certificates.