“Moving into the intensive EU accession process” – EU4PFM presented results and priorities at the 15th Steering Committee Meeting

On 2 July, EU4PFM held its 15th Steering Committee Meeting, where an overview of the Project’s activities was presented.

Jurgita Domeikiene, Team Leader of EU4PFM Components 1, 3, and 4, welcomed participants and expressed appreciation for the resilience of Ukrainian partners who continue their work amid ongoing russian aggression. Together with the Project Team, Ms Domeikiene presented the key achievements of the first half of 2025 and outlined plans till the end of the year:

“This half of the year could be called a ‘Screening season’ for the Project. We provided substantial support to the Ministry of Finance, the State Tax Service, and the State Customs Service throughout the screening process, particularly on the Taxation and Customs Chapters. ​Recently, our experts have been engaged in preparation for the screening under the Own resources Chapter, scheduled for September.”

The main achievements of the EU4PFM in the reporting period included:

• supporting the development of the 2026 State Budget using the software for budget planning
• submission to the Parliament of the draft law transposing the DAC7 (Digital Platform Information) Directive
• developing of the first draft of the new UCC based Customs Code
• launch of the pilot project on internal control in the Ministry of Justice

Opening the meeting, First Deputy Minister of Finance Denys Uliutin expressed his gratitude to the EU Delegation and EU4PFM for the fruitful cooperation in implementing reforms and for providing a clear roadmap for their further advancement:

“Together with EU4PFM, we are finalising the development of a modern IT system for budget planning, with a strong focus on the analytical module, which must fully meet user needs. We are also paying significant attention to strengthening public internal financial control — a pilot project has already been launched in the Ministry of Justice, which will help improve the regulatory framework.

We are working on updating the approaches to programme-based budgeting and the performance of budget programmes, as well as developing a competency framework for internal auditors and corresponding training programmes. In the area of accounting, we are updating the Strategy for the Modernisation of Public Sector Accounting, taking into account European practices.

In the field of international taxation, we have achieved significant progress. The Government has approved a draft law on the automatic exchange of information via digital platforms. We have also completed preparations for the screening under the Taxation Chapter and are counting on continued expert support for the implementation of EU directives,” – emphasised Mr Uliutin in his remarks.

According to Denys Uliutin, this is only part of the results achieved over the past six months. Going forward, the focus will be on the areas identified in the screening outcomes, which are reflected in the Reforms Roadmap. These will serve as the foundation for the new Public Finance Management (PFM) Strategy.

Henrik Huitfeldt, Head of Sector for Public Finance, Business Support and Social Policies at the EU Delegation to Ukraine, also praised the Project’s work:

“Over the past six months, we have seen successful spring negotiation meetings on Chapters 16 and 29 covering customs and taxation. These meetings were very well prepared, thanks to strong cooperation across all partners, including mock sessions and screening preparation. The accession process ahead is intensive, and the Project has demonstrated its capacity to provide the necessary support throughout.”

Deputy Minister of Finance Oleksandr Hrubiian, in turn, emphasised that with the EU4PFM expert support, the high-level design of a private cloud for the public finance management system has been completed, along with the development of a sectoral cybersecurity centre:

“The analysis of the system’s applied components from a cybersecurity perspective is now in its final stages. We have already had successful consultations with the State Customs Service and will soon proceed to discussions with the State Tax Service. All developments will shortly be submitted to the IT Committee of the Ministry of Finance for consideration. We are also working with EU4PFM on potential licensing support for the Ministry’s Business Intelligence system – another step toward a modern, efficient, and transparent financial system,” said Oleksandr Hrubiian.

In 2025, the focus of the Project will go to:

Budget Process Modernisation stream:

• Strengthening the Ministry of Finance’s capacity on EU experience in the budgetary system and alignment with EU requirements.
• Supporting the Ministry in the process of the development of the Public Finance Management Strategy for 2026 and beyond
• Finalising the pilot on internal control at the Ministry of Justice and scaling recommendations across other institutions
• Assistance in aligning national internal audit standards with the updated Global Internal Audit Standards
• Advancing alignment of national accounting standards with IPSAS.

Tax stream:

• Supporting the development of draft laws on ATAD and secondary legislation under DAC7
• Assessing the STS’s readiness for practical implementation of EU technical regulations and EU IT solutions
• Finalising the development of the e-Audit IT solution
• Assisting with the implementation of the Enlargement Report recommendations and outcomes from screening meetings.

Customs stream:

• Finalising the development of New Customs Code and drafting related secondary legislation
• Concluding discussions on core customs IT systems and developing a Roadmap for SCS IT alignment with EU systems
• Advancing the development of NCTS Phase 6 and launching the SCS Contact Centre.

Governance and Human Resources stream

• Launching the development of Anti-corruption Programme for 2026 and beyond
• Continuing implementation of the Competency Framework in Partner Institutions
• Providing support for development and implementation of modern Human Resource Management tools.

With these priorities, EU4PFM remains committed to supporting Ukraine’s sustainable public finance reforms and strengthening institutional resilience on the path to EU membership.

The event brought together representatives of EU4PFM Partner Institutions – the Ministry of Finance, the State Tax Service, and the State Customs Service – along with representatives from the EU Delegation to Ukraine, the European Commission, the Central Project Management Agency (CPMA), and international experts.

The next Steering Committee meeting is scheduled for January 2026.