RESULTS OF THE THIRD FOCUS GROUP “MONITORING CHANGES IN THE CUSTOMS SPHERE IN THE CONTEXT OF RUSSIAN AGGRESSION AGAINST UKRAINE”
On July 14, 2023, the Association of Customs Brokers of Ukraine held the third focus group discussion this year on the current conditions for export-import operations, transit cargo clearance, and interaction with representatives of the State Customs Service.
Discussing the trends in foreign trade over the past few months, the panelists – customs brokers – noted that there have been no significant changes. This applies to both export and import of goods and logistical challenges in their implementation.
Due to Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine, the vast majority of goods are cleared at the Ukraine/EU border at international automobile checkpoints and railways. Ports are not working.
The FGD participants plan to obtain special simplifications to be able to prepare and submit T1 declarations.
The congestion at road checkpoints is considerable: carriers spend 3 to 10 days in queues, despite the operation of the electronic queue mechanism.
The participants also noted that there are delays in issuing EUR-1 certificates: there are cases when a longer list of documents is required, and it takes longer to receive the certificate.
Regarding the execution of T1 declarations in the direction of Ukraine: customs brokers point to cases where some customs brokers in the EU (e.g. Slovenia) refuse to open T1 declarations to the destination in Ukraine, citing a high risk of non-delivery of goods to the final recipient and, as a result, problems with closing the submitted declaration.
Regarding the clearance of goods in the “import” mode, the participants noted the problem of the length of the phytocontrol procedure for quarantined goods: each batch, even if the seller has a phytocertificate, goes to a laboratory located in another city, which makes the phytocontrol procedure take 2 days.
FGD participants expect changes scheduled for November 2023, namely the abolition of EA declarations. Since many business representatives do not understand how the system will work in the future in connection with these changes, it would be appropriate for representatives of the State Customs Service of Ukraine to provide explanations to the business in advance during specialized online events, posting special information messages on the website, etc.
Customs brokers prefer to clear similar goods in the “import” mode. If the client provides complex documents or potential risks, brokers may refuse to clear the goods in order to avoid complicated communication with customs officials and triggering the Automated Risk Analysis and Management System (ARMS) for a particular shipment.
Businesses note the problem of customs clearance of express shipments in cases where the goods are physically located in another city. At the same time, even the AEO status does not cancel mandatory inspections of consignments, despite the lack of approved processes.
Regarding interaction with customs authorities, the participants noted that there are some positive innovations at regional customs, namely: Poltava customs has created a Telegram bot where they post regulatory documents to inform businesses. Business representatives can also send questions to the bot.
In general, the group members note that communication with customs inspectors is quite effective at the customs offices where the participants clear cargo, as the interaction is ongoing.
The AMCU plans to hold such focus group discussions regularly in the future to monitor changes in the customs sector related to the introduction of martial law in Ukraine.
If you would like to join the discussion, please send us a request by e-mail: info@ambu.org.ua or call: +380953046894
We look forward to seeing 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.