Ukraine starts operating under EU common customs procedures

MOSCOW. Oct 3 (Interfax) - The European Union's Convention on a common transit procedure (Common Transit Convention, CCTP) took effect with regard to Ukraine last Saturday, and cargoes have started being shipped to and from Ukraine under the new procedure, Ukrainian media have reported with reference to the Ukrainian Finance Ministry.

The new procedure "has taken effect since October 1, and businesses now have the opportunity of international cargo transportation to and from 35 other member states under a single transit document," it said.

Germany became the first country from which a cargo was shipped to Ukraine under the common transit procedure, the ministry said. The Ukrainian Customs Service can see a T1 transit declaration in the New Computerized Transit System (NCTS, a common electronic transit database) and are expecting the truck's arrival, it said.

Ukraine has also issued the first transit declaration for an outgoing cargo currently being shipped to Germany via Poland.

More declarations have also been entered in the NCTS for goods expected to arrive at departure customs, under which they will be placed under the common transit procedure and delivered to destination customs in territories of the convention's member-states, it said.

The Finance Ministry pointed out that, in line with the EU common customs procedure, a departure customs shall forward a single transit document to a destination customs to ship cargoes from one country to another, which streamlines customs formalities on the border and cuts the relevant costs for businesses.