Ukraine to adopt new Customs Code in line with EU standards in 2026

This was announced by Deputy Minister of Finance of Ukraine Yuriy Draganchuk at a meeting of the Coordination Committee for the creation of a new Customs Code of Ukraine, as reported by an Ukrinform correspondent with reference to the press service of the department.

Progress achieved by 1 September 2025 will be reflected in the 2025 report and will impact the ongoing assessment of Ukraine's readiness to join the EU.

As Deputy Head of the State Customs Service of Ukraine Vladislav Suvorov noted, the Customs Code is the foundation of the customs union, and without the relevant legislation, Ukraine's membership in the EU is impossible. According to him, the creation of a new Customs Code is currently a priority for the State Customs Service, and its first version should be completed by early May 2025.

Director of the Customs Law Department of the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine Oleksandr Moskalenko specified that the preparation of the text will be completed in April. The translation will begin in May. In June, the text will be submitted to DG TAXUD experts for evaluation. The bill will be submitted to parliament no later than August 31, 2025. In October, it is planned to consider it in the first reading, and in January 2026, to adopt it as a law. After the approval of the new Customs Code, Ukraine will await an assessment from the Eurasian Union and will continue to develop the necessary by-laws.

“Our goal is to achieve full compliance of Ukrainian customs legislation with EU standards by 2027. We are ready for such an ambitious approach,” Moskalenko emphasized.

The specified schedule was approved by the Steering Committee for the development of the new Customs Code of Ukraine, based on the EU Customs Code.

In particular, DG TAXUD representative Tomasz Michalek confirmed his readiness to provide the Ukrainian side with technical consultations and expertise on the documents being developed.

Let us recall that the development process began in March 2024 and is aimed at fulfilling Ukraine's requirements as a candidate for EU membership. For this purpose, 15 working groups were created, which included representatives of the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, the State Customs Service, experts from the EU Support Programme for Public Financial Management for Ukraine (EU4PFM) and the Reform Support Group under the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine.