Parliament ratifies the Agreement between Ukraine and the EU on Ukraine's participation in the EU Customs Programme

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ratified the Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union on Ukraine's participation in the EU Customs cooperation programme signed by Minister of Finance of Ukraine Sergii Marchenko and EU Commissioner for Economy Paolo Gentiloni in Brussels on September 5, 2022.

Ukraine's participation in the EU Customs Programme as an associated country will allow it to enjoy all its benefits. This includes cooperation in the following activities:

• development and strengthening of IT capacities, including the development and operation of European electronic systems;
• establishing a network of contacts with colleagues from other countries;
• access to documents on customs issues (guidelines, recommendations, explanations, methodologies, etc.);
• exchange of knowledge and best practices between customs officials of the participating countries;
• research and innovation activities.

The Draft Law of Ukraine "On Ratification of the Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union on Ukraine's Participation in the Customs Union Program for Cooperation in the Customs Area" was prepared by the Ministry of Finance jointly with the State Customs Service and submitted to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine by the President of Ukraine.

The Customs Programme was established and operates in accordance with Regulation (EU) No. 2021/444 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11.03.2021. Taking into account the cross-border nature of the activities of the customs authorities of the EU Member States, the establishment of the Customs Programme at the EU level with the approach defined in the Regulation to cover the costs of the necessary technical and administrative assistance to customs authorities was aimed at strengthening customs cooperation between customs administrations, as well as developing their administrative, human resources and information technology capacity.