G7 Ambassadors, EU Delegation express support for customs reforms

This was discussed during the meeting of Chairman of the State Customs Service Pavlo Riabikin with the G7 Ambassadors and the leadership of the EU Delegation to Ukraine on May 26, Ukrinform reports with reference to the website of the State Customs Service.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the process of reforming the State Customs Service of Ukraine. In particular, Chairman of the State Customs Service informed about the main areas of change: personnel reform, legislative changes, IT transformation, development of customs infrastructure.

"My first impression of the State Customs Service was that the institute had been in a state of formal reform over the past ten years. Over the period of so-called reforms, the institute was almost destroyed. We have a very negative image in society as one of the most corrupt organizations in the country. To change this, we need to follow not a revolutionary path for change at customs but take gradual steps – day after day, month after month," Riabikin said.

U.S. Chargé d'Affaires in Ukraine Kristina Kvien stressed the importance of testing State Customs Service officers, praised the organization of the event, and expressed U.S. support for cooperation on personnel reform.

Representatives of the G7 countries and the EU Delegation thanked for the meeting and expressed full support for the reforms of the Service. In particular, Chargé d'Affaires of the United Kingdom in Ukraine Nicolas Harrocks said: "Thank you and your colleagues for your time and presentation. You have explained a lot to us about the ongoing processes at customs. And I hope that we will keep in touch in our joint work."

"Among other things, the G7 Ambassadors and the EU Delegation stated the political support for the mentioned way of institutional development of the State Customs Service, as well as readiness to deepen further cooperation in these areas," the statement reads.

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