On April 7, 2021, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine supported the draft Law “On Amendments to the Customs Code of Ukraine to bring the procedure for determining the country of origin of goods in line with the Customs Code of the European Union” developed by the Ministry of Finance and the State Customs Service.
Within the framework of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU, the implementation of the provisions of the customs legislation of the European Union into the Customs Code of Ukraine is underway, in particular, in terms of determining non-preferential origin for import/export of goods to Ukraine.
This draft law proposes to set out Section II “Country of Origin of Goods” of the Customs Code of Ukraine in a new wording, according to which the Customs Code of the European Union will comply with the provisions on:
- the purpose of determining the non-preferential origin of goods;
- features of determining the origin of accessories, spare parts, and tools, neutral elements, and packaging;
- list of goods fully produced in the country;
- criteria for sufficient processing of goods produced using materials of foreign origin;
- list of simple operations;
- the procedure for verification by customs authorities of certificates of origin of goods (including electronic certificates of origin) after completion of customs clearance.
The draft law was drafted in accordance with the requirements of Annex XV “Approximation of Customs Legislation” to the Association Agreement between Ukraine, on the one hand, and the European Union, the European Atomic Energy Community, and their Member States, on the other hand, in accordance with the ratified Association Agreement.
According to the decision adopted by the Government, the bill will be submitted to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
Currently, the Bill is registered in the system of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for № 5353 dated 08.04.2021.
It is expected that the adoption of the Law will contribute to the improvement of customs services and the development of international trade.