Ukraine participates for the first time in the Tax Administration EU Summit: discussions focus on security and resilience amid global challenges

A delegation from the State Tax Service of Ukraine, led by Acting Head of the STS Lesia Karnaukh, took part in the Tax Administration EU Summit (TADEUS 2025). For the first time, candidate countries for EU accession were invited to participate – Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Kosovo. This marked an important signal of the European Union’s openness to partnership with future members.

TADEUS is an annual forum for tax authorities of EU countries under the auspices of the European Commission. This year, it was held in Copenhagen, Denmark.

“Ukraine is clearly fulfilling its commitments to EU membership, including in taxation, encompassing the implementation of BEPS standards, participation in the OECD Global Forum, and harmonisation with EU legislation. This progress is also confirmed by the European Commission report,” noted Lesia Karnaukh.

One of the Summit’s key issues was strengthening the security of EU tax systems amid geopolitical changes, military actions, crises, and cyberattacks. Discussions also covered the challenges of the digital economy, the role of data analytics, automation, and joint solutions to enhance security and sustainable development within the EU.

“I shared the STS’s experience in ensuring the continuous operation of the tax system under wartime conditions. The key here is the uninterrupted functioning of digital services, data protection, extraterritorial taxpayer servicing, support for relocated businesses, and an effective remote working format. And most importantly, moving forward – towards European standards and trust. I am grateful to our partners from Finland and Estonia. Together, we are implementing important projects that will qualitatively transform the STS’s operations,” added the Acting Head of the STS.

Participants also discussed several other strategic directions for the development of tax administrations in Europe:

• cooperation in indirect taxation;
• digitalisation of processes;
• risk management;
• improving the exchange of tax information to combat fraud;
• enhancing transparency.

During TADEUS 2025, Acting Head of the STS Lesia Karnaukh and the Chairman of the Management Committee of the Federal Public Service Finance of Belgium, Filip Van de Velde, signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the institutions.

The parties will cooperate in the following areas:

• combating shadow tax schemes;
• implementing European administration practices;
• sharing knowledge on inter-institutional interaction and tax debt management.

“Today, with the support of our European partners, we are changing approaches. The STS is part of the European professional dialogue and reform community. Every change is primarily about people. When the goal is to become a full-fledged part of Europe, even war does not erase these aspirations. Despite daily russian attacks and significant losses, we continue building a modern, transparent, digital tax system – one that every taxpayer will trust,” emphasised Lesia Karnaukh.

Background

TADEUS (Tax Administration EU Summit) is a forum established in 2018 that brings together EU tax administrations to strengthen cooperation, combat tax evasion, develop digital tools, manage risks, and build trust among member states.