On April 23-24, 2018, CLDP led a meeting of the Trade Facilitation Working Group of Moldova and Ukraine in Kyiv, Ukraine.  The meeting brought Customs officials from Moldova and Ukraine together to discuss the status and challenges of customs reforms with members of the business community, EU customs experts, and representatives of the EU Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) and the EU Advisory Mission (EUAM).  Topics of the meeting included post clearance audit, rules of origin, authorized operators, single window, simplified procedures, and customs guarantees.

The meeting was the first event organized since CLDP assumed leadership of the Working Group in October 2017.  The Working Group is a platform for greater information sharing and regional collaboration on trade facilitation issues.  Under CLDP’s leadership the group will continue to facilitate interagency and cross-border cooperation but will also play a larger role in identifying and developing solutions to customs barriers.   

On April 25-26, CLDP, in cooperation with the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine (MEDT), held a two-day workshop on trade facilitation measures that focusing on simplified procedures and customs guarantees. The goal of the workshop was to help align the customs procedures of Ukraine and Moldova with international best practices outlined by the World Trade Organization and World Customs Organization.  Three customs experts from the European Union shared their expertise and provided guidance on minimizing customs barriers through implementation of these critical components of customs reform.  The workshop produced a number of recommendations to improve the efficiency and predictability of customs procedures in both countries.  Efficient and predictable customs procedures help to create a reliable environment for international transactions and thereby promote economic development.