About it in the interview Forbes Ukraine said Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Ukrinform reports.
“I will press for this reform to be implemented this year. We have already agreed with the president of the European Commission on the gradual opening of access to common databases,” Shmyhal noted.
According to him, six steps need to be implemented to carry out the customs reform. The first involves the introduction of joint checkpoints and a joint database with EU countries, in particular with Poland.
“When the databases of Poland and Ukraine have the same information, everything will be aligned. Corruption from the point of view of smuggling will decrease by 98%,” the Prime Minister is convinced.
He called the digitization of all processes and the introduction of an electronic queue as the second step. The third and fourth steps involve rotations at customs every three months and an increase in the number of checkpoints.
“The more checkpoints, the less load, less queues, less corruption. We are already actively working on this. For the first time in 24 years, Ukraine opened two new checkpoints with Romania,” Shmyhal emphasized.
Two more steps he mentioned include a risk-based approach and the installation of functional scanners at all customs checkpoints.
“Without structural reform, personnel changes will not be effective. During the war, we already started the changes. We are currently negotiating the extension of economic visa-free, that is, duty-free and quota-free trade, until the end or middle of 2024,” the Prime Minister emphasized.
