The Cabinet of Ministers plans to prepare a plan for the structural reform of the customs by June 17, which will include, in particular, personnel decisions, but there is currently a lack of funds for its implementation. This was stated by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal during a speech in parliament, which was broadcast by People’s Deputy Oleksiy Honcharenko.
“The plan is being developed. By agreement with the IMF, a plan for a comprehensive, structural reform of the customs must be submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers by June 17. The reform must include a number of personnel, infrastructure, and technological issues,” the Prime Minister noted.
At the same time, the head of government noted that negotiations are ongoing regarding the financing of the reform “with American and European partners.”
“With the IMF, the benchmark has been moved to the end of the year for the implementation of the customs reform until funds are found,” Shmyhal emphasized, adding that it involves hundreds of millions of dollars.
In turn, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko noted that the customs reform is not standing still. He recalled that the government had decided to increase the salaries of customs employees, as a result of which the salaries of customs employees would increase by 46%. At the same time, he emphasized that a polygraph test had been introduced “for all 100% of those who will come to customs”.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law on customs reform in the fall of 2024. According to the document, in particular, it is planned to reboot customs according to the BEB model, agreed with international partners, and hold a transparent competition for the position of head of the State Customs Service with the participation of international organizations.
The head of the customs service will be dismissed only based on the results of an audit. In addition, it is envisaged to conduct a re-certification of all employees within 18 months from the date of appointment of the new head.
The draft law on customs reform is one of the “beacons” of the IMF, the World Bank and the USA, that is, its adoption significantly affects the allocation of tranches.
