Ukraine and the European Union work on measures to improve joint efforts against tax fraud and smuggling
First Deputy Prime Minister Serhii Arbuzov and European Commissioner for Taxation, Customs Union, Audit and Anti-Fraud Algirdas Šemeta discussed the prospects for cooperation in tax and customs in Kyiv.
"We agreed on the appointment of responsible persons from Ukraine and the EU, who will develop the appropriate plan. Implementation of this plan will allow us to ensure proper operation to combat tax fraud and tax evasion", said Šemeta.
The EU commissioner noted Ukraine's serious intentions to make progress and willingness of European institutions for closer cooperation in the tax area with Ukrainian partners.
With regard to cooperation in the customs field Šemeta announced the prospect of the introduction of authorized economic operators under discussion. "We talked about the development and implementation of authorized economic operators, as well as possible future mutual recognition of authorized economic operators. We also talked about the possibility of joint border control - at first through appropriate pilot projects. For this purpose we expect appropriate amendments to the Schengen acquis", he said.
When speaking about the problem of smuggling, the Commissioner stated that Ukraine remains a country which supplies a significant amount of contraband cigarettes to the EU. "We discussed ways of enhancing cooperation between the Ukrainian authorities and EU Anti-Fraud Bureau. We talked about how we can continue to fight against this phenomenon, in particular, by signing the protocol to eliminate illicit trade in tobacco products.
