On 15 October 2026, a conference-presentation «Customs Reform: From a Regional Challenge to a National Interest» was held at Uzhhorod National University. During the event, the results of a three-year monitoring of the implementation of the customs reform in Zakarpattia and Lviv regions for 2024–2026 were presented, and the institutional capacity of customs authorities, digitalisation of procedures, transparency and integrity of customs administration were discussed.
The study was conducted by the non-governmental organisation «Carpathian Horizons» within the framework of the ACCORD project: Accountability and Capacity-building for Customs Oversight and Reform Development. The conference became a concluding platform for presenting the monitoring results and discussing the priorities for further reforming Ukraine's customs system.
The conference opened with welcoming addresses by representatives of state authorities, customs authorities, the academic community and the public sector.
The participants were addressed by Anatolii Kostiukh, People's Deputy of Ukraine; Vasyl Tatos, Deputy Head of the Zakarpattia Customs; Zoya Bystrova, Deputy Head of the Lviv Customs; Yurii Bysaha, Doctor of Law, Professor, Honoured Lawyer of Ukraine, Head of the Department of Constitutional Law and Comparative Jurisprudence of the Faculty of Law of Uzhhorod University, Director of the Institute of State and Law of European Countries; Serhii Patoka, Operations Director of the Institute of Analytics and Advocacy; Ruslana Dzhuhan, Project Manager, Head of the Board of the NGO «Carpathian Horizons», Candidate of Sociological Sciences, Associate Professor of Uzhhorod University.
The central part of the conference was the presentation of the study «Three Years of Customs Reform: Results and Assessments of Key Stakeholder Groups».
The monitoring results were presented by Ruslana Dzhuhan, Project Manager, Head of the Board of the NGO «Carpathian Horizons», Candidate of Sociological Sciences, Associate Professor of Uzhhorod University; Nataliia Varha, project expert of the NGO «Carpathian Horizons», Doctor of Sociological Sciences, Professor, Head of the Centre for Sociological Research and Social Initiatives of Uzhhorod University; Bohdanna Hvozdetska, project expert of the NGO «Carpathian Horizons», Candidate of Sociological Sciences, Associate Professor of Drohobych Ivan Franko State Pedagogical University; Oleksii Shafraniosh, Communications Manager of the NGO «Carpathian Horizons», Candidate of Political Sciences of Uzhhorod University.
The study covered a number of key areas of the implementation of the customs reform. In particular, it addressed the institutional capacity of customs authorities, digitalisation of customs procedures, transparency and integrity, staffing and infrastructure challenges, interaction between customs and business, regional specifics of implementing changes, the use of European customs instruments, as well as media coverage of customs issues.
Monitoring in two regions made it possible to examine the progress of the reform at the regional level and to assess it from the perspective of various stakeholder groups.
A separate part of the event was the expert discussion «Customs Reform in Action: Institutional Capacity, Digitalisation and Practical Effect». Its moderators were Nataliia Varha and Bohdanna Hvozdetska.
Participants discussed whether the customs system has sufficient institutional capacity for the effective implementation of the reform, how digitalisation affects the transparency and integrity of customs administration, and to what extent the working practices of customs authorities are changing.
Attention was also paid to how business and the public perceive the work of customs and to the significance of the customs reform in the context of Ukraine's European integration.
During the concluding session «From Monitoring to Action: Key Priorities for Further Customs Reform», participants focused on identifying further steps for reforming the customs system based on the project results.
The customs reform covers not only the updating of procedures and the introduction of digital tools, but also issues of institutional capacity, transparency of public administration, integrity, conditions for doing business, and the fulfilment of Ukraine's obligations within European integration.
Regional monitoring makes it possible to trace how reform changes are implemented in practice, to identify problematic aspects and to formulate proposals for further improvement of the customs system at the national level.
The conference brought together representatives of government, customs authorities, the academic and expert community and the public sector to discuss the results of the study and the priorities for further customs reform.
According to the information of the NGO «Carpathian Horizons»
