Блокада західного кордону під час повномасштабної війни як загроза митній безпеці України

Abstract

У статті окреслено основні виклики, що постали перед українськими суб’єктами ЗЕД з початку повномасштабної війни. Особливу увагу приділено блокаді західного кордону з окремими сусідніми країнами ЄС як актуальній загрозі митній безпеці України. Оцінено ключові ефекти блокади на експорт та імпорт товарів та відображено негативний вплив затримок імпортних операцій на західному кордоні на обсяги митних надходжень у листопаді 2023 року. Сформульовано окремі рекомендації щодо зниження загрози продовження блокади для митної безпеки України у короткостроковому періоді.

The article outlines the main challenges faced by Ukrainian entities engaged in foreign economic activity since the beginning of the full-scale war. The key factors among them were the blockade of access to seaports, destruction, and occupation of industrial infrastructure, as well as mass forced migration of Ukrainians abroad. However, thanks to significant efforts from the workers in the logistics sector and unwavering international support, most of these challenges were successfully mitigated throughout 2022. However, already at the beginning of 2023, some neighboring EU countries introduced several restrictions on food supplies from Ukraine, which remained even after the official cancellation of this decision by the European Commission. Therefore, the aim of the research is to describe the potential effects of the blockade of the western border on Ukraine's foreign trade and customs security. Based on data regarding the structure of goods exports and imports by modes of transport, as well as statistics on the crossing of borders by cargo trucks from the EQueue system, it was found that the blockade of the western border had a more significant impact on the import of goods. In particular, the losses in goods exports were partially offset by the launch of the temporary export maritime route. However, the decline in goods imports, caused by delays in cargo truck transportation, led to a reduction in customs payments by almost 19% compared to October. Specific recommendations are formulated to reduce the threat of the blockade's continuation for Ukraine's customs security in the short term. Attention is focused on the necessity of maximizing the potential for redirecting freight flows to alternative routes and modes of transportation. Moreover, it is proposed to utilize the temporary maritime route not only for exports but also for imports of goods, especially considering that trial purchases were already conducted in November 2023.