AmCham urges Ukrainian govt, parliament to extend customs clearance without presenting goods

MOSCOW. Oct 11 (Interfax) - The American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Ukraine has urged the country's parliament and government to consider and back proposals by member companies to amend the Customs Code and extend the opportunity for customs clearance without presenting goods to customs beyond November 7, 2023.

This is "to guarantee an environment for undisrupted and prompt customs clearance," Ukrainian media quote AmCham as saying in a statement in support of its request.

Regulations to facilitate the customs clearance of goods without presenting them to customs offices expire on November 7. Only companies with the status of authorized economic operator, of which there are fewer than a dozen in Ukraine, will be eligible to benefit from this.

Experts from AmCham member companies believe the abolition of facilitation such as the EA-type declaration which allows customs clearance without delivering the goods to customs and "export without terminal" will only result in higher financial and administrative costs for business and queues at customs terminals, especially in the western regions, higher security risks due as cargo builds up and an unnecessary burden on customs inspectors, the association believes.

The ability to receive and ship goods without stopping at a private customs terminal has enabled businesses to mitigate the impact of a number of factors during the crisis, including security risks, diversion of commodity flows/business relocation and blackouts.

The European Business Association has said significant difficulties will arise from November 7 after the cancellation of EA-type import declarations. The association also highlighted the need for additional customs control zones in each region on state-owed territories to ensure free customs control, since existing infrastructure is not designed for a major increase in the number of trucks simultaneously in the corresponding zones.