The reform of the State Customs Service will cost around €1.2 billion
Vladislav Suvorov, Deputy Head of the State Customs Service of Ukraine, stated that implementing the agency’s reform would require around €1.2 billion in funding.
He made this announcement during the conference ‘Trade Wars: The Art of Defence’, which took place in Kyiv.
According to Suvorov, part of the costs are planned to be covered by the Ukrainian state budget, but the majority of the funding is expected to come from international partners.
He noted that USAID had previously been one of the key donors, but that this role is now primarily fulfilled by the European Union. Japan and Norway are also providing support. In particular, Norway is assisting with the implementation of anti-corruption measures.
Suvorov reported that the necessary funding levels and estimates have already been incorporated into the programme documents of the national strategy.
The largest expenditure is earmarked for the institutional development of customs authorities. A total of €756.5 million is planned to be allocated to this area. A further €353.1 million is required to provide customs with technical control equipment.
€38.7 million is earmarked for measures to strengthen anti-corruption policy, integrity and public confidence in customs authorities. A further €26.8 million is planned to be spent on developing the law enforcement function of the State Customs Service.
The funding structure also includes €5.7 million for the development of international customs cooperation, €5.8 million for support and cooperation with the business sector, and €3.8 million for the development of IT and cybersecurity.
€1.6 million is planned to be allocated to harmonising Ukrainian customs legislation with European Union standards.
Vladislav Suvorov, the new head of the Department for Combating Smuggling and Customs Violations at the State Customs Service of Ukraine, received over half a million in salary from the Bureau prior to his dismissal from NABU. As a reminder, Orest Mandzia, who previously worked at the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, was recently appointed Head of the State Customs Service of Ukraine; he appointed another NABU detective, Ruslan Damentzov, as his deputy. Both worked at NABU from 2017 to 2026.
