Ukraine's Rada passes bill on common transit with EU

The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, has passed the bill on common transit of goods via Ukraine's customs territory and the introduction of the national electronic transit system, which will allow Ukraine to apply European transit rules and use a single customs declaration, which will speed up and cheapen the shipping of goods. A total of 333 MPs backed the bill on Sept 12, with the required minimum of 226 votes. An explanatory note to the bill notes that its adoption will allow European transit rules to be applied in Ukraine. The rules stipulate the use by enterprises of a single customs declaration and guarantee for the movement of goods from the country of departure to the country of destination across all borders of the contracting parties to the Convention on the General Transit Procedures without delays.

Thus, Ukraine will be able to exchange customs data online with 35 European countries and increase the efficiency of applying risk analysis. "The bill provides for the introduction of the European practice of transparent and reliable procedures from which all Ukrainian participants in the goods supply chain, as well as the country's financial sector, will benefit. Moreover, the upgraded customs service will be able to introduce reliable procedures for monitoring the movement of goods," the explanatory note said. As UNIAN reported earlier, the draft law (No. 1082) was registered in the Verkhovna Rada on Aug 29. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky identified it as one of the urgent ones.