EU4PFM and the State Customs Service set priorities for further Customs reform

During her mission to Lviv for the third Customs Platform, Jurgita Domeikiene, Team Leader of the EU4PFM Components 1,3 and 4, met with Orest Mandziy, Head of the State Customs Service, to discuss the next steps in cooperation and take stock of the progress achieved by the Customs Service and the Programme in recent years.

The EU4PFM Programme has been supporting Ukraine’s customs administration throughout different stages of its reform. The appointment of a new Head of the State Customs Service following an open competitive selection was an important step in this process.

The main focus of the meeting was to align views on the future development of Ukraine’s customs administration and identify shared priorities for the next stage of the reform.

“The Customs Service we see today, and the progress already achieved, are to a large extent the result of a partnership built over many years. But we should not take these changes for granted. The reform is ongoing and there is still a lot of work ahead. It is therefore important that we maintain the momentum, strengthen our cooperation and continue moving forward together,” said Orest Mandziy during the meeting.

The two sides discussed strategic approaches to advancing the reform and confirmed that the priorities identified by the leadership of the State Customs Service are in line with the areas supported by the EU4PFM Programme.

EU4PFM stands ready to continue supporting the State Customs Service in advancing these strategic priorities. They include preparing for the implementation of Ukraine’s new Customs Code, developing and introducing the necessary IT solutions, further digitalising customs procedures, strengthening institutional capacity and integrity and anti-corruption mechanisms, and bringing the work of Ukraine’s customs administration closer to EU standards.