Ukraine has begun the transition to European Union customs rules

On April 19, legislative innovations aimed at harmonizing Ukrainian customs legislation with the Customs Code of the European Union came into force in Ukraine. According to the State Customs Service of Ukraine, the changes concern the introduction of authorization procedures for certain types of activities, the control of which is carried out by customs authorities, and authorizations for placing goods under certain customs regimes.

If previously it was necessary to obtain separate permits for certain types of activities, now they will be replaced by authorizations that will confirm the enterprise's compliance with the established criteria. Now, foreign economic activity entities will be thoroughly informed about the introduced norms regarding the expansion of the range of warehouse operations that can be carried out in customs warehouses, the reduction of requirements for the arrangement of warehouse facilities when introducing the European norm of ensuring the guarantee of the safety of goods, as well as the gradual transition from the permitting system to authorizations.

It should be noted that the legislation provides for a one-year transition period for certain authorizations – until April 19, 2026, during which businesses will have the opportunity to adapt to the new rules.

Earlier it was reported that the Government of Ukraine is working on creating a unified logistics space with the European Union. As Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal emphasized, work is underway in several main areas to create conditions for the rapid and unhindered crossing of people and the movement of goods and services in both directions from the border. The first direction is the "transport visa-free regime" with the EU, thanks to which Ukrainian carriers no longer need separate permits. The second important area of work is the modernization of border infrastructure and checkpoints. Ukraine aims to update 29 checkpoints and build 17 new ones by 2030. This work will be carried out in close cooperation with our western neighbors. The third direction, which the state is working on developing, is the Ukrainian Maritime Corridor. In a year and a half of its operation, it has already transported more than 100 million tons of cargo to 53 countries around the world.