• Українською
  • Statement by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal at a session of the Cabinet of Ministers
    Communications Department of the Secretariat of the CMU, posted 16 August 2022 16:26

    I greet everyone, fellow Ukrainian citizens.

    From the first day of the full-blown war, the Government has repeatedly noted that reforms cannot be postponed. Work in this direction has never stopped, including due to the intensification of interaction and integration with the European Union.

    Transformations at the customs are one of the biggest demands among the population and businesses over the past 30 years. Even before the large-scale russian invasion, we shaped a comprehensive road map for customs reform, and now we continue active implementation of it. What the customs reform envisages?

    First, it is the accession of Ukraine to the Convention on a Common Transit Procedure. This is what we call ‘customs visa waiver’ with the European Union. Yesterday, the Parliament adopted the Government's bill on amendments to the Customs Code, and these amendments bring Ukrainian customs legislation as close as possible to EU laws, in fact opening the way to the signing of the customs free visa regime. Ukraine will start exchanging customs information with 36 countries in real time. This will be an essential process needed to eliminate corruption and schemes at the customs.

    The second step. The Ministry of Infrastructure, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State Customs Service have been given a commission to intensify the process of negotiations regarding the opening of joint checkpoints at the border with the EU. We talked about the possibility of opening such points with the Prime Minister of Poland. And this is an equally important direction for speeding up all customs procedures and minimizing corruption risks.

    The third step. The Ministry of Infrastructure will soon present a project of the electronic queue at the border. We are moving towards a digital state with the most convenient services for people and businesses, and therefore this issue cannot and will not be postponed any longer.

    The fourth step. Expansion of checkpoints infrastructure as part of the Open Border project and the creation of modern service areas near the border for trucks and their drivers. Today, at the border crossing point Krakivets-Korczowa we are launching a completely new bus terminal allowing to handle 30 buses per day. We exert every effort to make the border crossing comfortable and convenient.

    The fifth step. Back in June, the Government submitted to the Verkhovna Rada a bill on customs clearance of cars through the Diia. People are waiting for these changes. Fast customs clearance is not the only innovation of this bill. We also eliminate the human factor in determining the rates at which customs clearance takes place. That is, all possible schemes with undervaluation, fake invoices, non-existent damages - all this must disappear once and forever. The proposed process and formula for customs clearance are as simple as possible. Filling out the form takes up to 10 minutes, and one can proceed to payment through the Diia immedicately. Instead of the current 4 payments, which used to create bureaucracy and complications, there will now be one payment. Conveniently, simply and effectively.

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    Deregulation, the digital state and simplification of procedures are the defining principles of all the reforms we are launching. First of all, we implement the principle of deregulation aimed to simplify business conditions. Over the past six months, more than 500 different permits have been either completely removed or converted into declarative form. We do not stop at that. Today, the Government has approved a draft law that provides for the cancellation of 17 more documents of a permissive nature.

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    Moreover, today we have endorsed the procedure for utilizing funds to support agrarians The state will allocate UAH 1.5 billion to support farmers and agricultural producers. The maximum budget subsidy for owners of agricultural land will be UAH 372,000, the maximum subsidy for one enterprise for keeping cows will be UAH 530,000. That is, we continue the policy of supporting small and medium-sized farms.

    On August 12, as part of the system policy of supporting the agricultural sector - the State Agrarian Register - an online platform for direct interaction between the state and agricultural producers was launched. As a result, 1,500 farmers were included in the State Agrarian Register in the first three days.

    The State Agrarian Register is the Diia for farmers. A platform that presents a transparent and clear distribution of all types of support for Ukrainian farmers. Agricultural producers registered in the register will be able to apply for state subsidies, targeted, subsidized credit programs, as well as loans and technical assistance from the EU and other international donors. In other words, digitalization is once again synonymous with efficiency and transparency.

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    The execution of the eRobota program is underway. The number of submitted applications for non-refundable grants under the eRobota program has already reached 8,000. Today, the Government has allocated another UAH 103 million for relevant grants. UAH 74 million will be directed to the creation of 324 micro-businesses. Another UAH 29 million will go to the launch of 9 new projects in the field of berry growing, horticulture and viticulture.

    The state helps citizens deliver on their plans and ambitions by creating startups We do this because we understand that it is small and medium-sized businesses that are the basis of a successful Ukrainian economy and a flourishing country.

    Thank you for attention. Glory to Ukraine!

    Statement by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal at a session of the Cabinet of Ministers