RESULTS OF THE EIGHTH FOCUS GROUP “MONITORING OF CHANGES IN THE CUSTOMS SPHERE RELATED TO THE INTRODUCTION OF MARTIAL LAW IN UKRAINE”
On 17 December 2022, the Association of Customs Brokers of Ukraine held a focus group discussion on the current conditions for export-import operations, transit cargo clearance, and interaction with representatives of the State Customs Service.
The participants of the discussion – customs brokers – drew attention to the objective and subjective factors that led to a significant reduction in the volume of foreign economic activity and, accordingly, a decrease in demand for customs brokerage services in Ukraine.
Regarding the clearance of export operations: the panelists have not observed any changes in the clearance of goods recently. Representatives of small and medium-sized businesses do not use the NCTS system when declaring goods in the “export” mode, as this requires the reservation of additional funds or the purchase of an additional T1 declaration from the guarantor.
The main issue that, in the opinion of the FGD participants believe needs to be addressed immediately is the determination of customs value and the large number of customs inspections currently initiated by the customs authorities.
The group members noted that customs clearance of goods in the import mode is often carried out “according to tables”. In other words, customs officials use the available tabular data and make decisions on the customs value of a particular imported product, which, in the opinion of business representatives, primarily serves to fill the budget.
Delays in the clearance of import operations also occur due to objective reasons, such as air raids, power outages (not all customs posts are equipped with uninterruptible power supply). However, the panelists noted that in such situations, customs officers meet their needs – they accept declarations for processing and promptly release clients.
Customs brokers believe that the real simplification is the clearance of goods under EA declarations. In the future, the AA declaration will be used instead of the EA declaration, provided that the T1 declaration is issued by a European guarantor. In the absence of a T1 declaration, the vehicle’s arrival at the terminal is a prerequisite, which cancels out the simplification. The issue of the cost of T1 processing and obtaining simplifications by customs brokers remains relevant.
Customs brokers plan to obtain simplified procedures for the application of the general guarantee with benefits to be able to continue clearing vehicles without entering the terminal, but need assistance in filling out an application for the State Customs Service of Ukraine. Customs brokers hope to receive such assistance and support from the relevant associations.
This was the last focus group held by the EBA this year.
We are grateful to all our caring colleagues who participated in our events.
Further meetings will be announced in due course.
We will be glad to see you among the participants of our next events.
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This publication has been prepared within the framework of the project Support to the Public Initiative “For Fair and Transparent Customs” with the assistance of the European Union), implemented by the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the Ukrainian Association of Customs Brokers and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.