Ukraine: Leadership in obtaining the status of Authorized Economic Operator (AEO)

Ukrainian companies have demonstrated impressive success in obtaining the status of Authorized Economic Operator (AEO), breaking records that in some cases exceed the achievements of European countries at similar stages of the program's implementation. This information was provided by representatives of the State Customs Service of Ukraine.

Ukraine had the opportunity to obtain AEO status in 2020. Since then, Ukrainian companies have already received 31 AEO authorizations (63%) based on baseline indicators and 35% based on reduced indicators set during martial law.

Even in the difficult period of military operations, Ukrainian business not only uses the opportunities offered by the AEO status, but also actively develops, using new services and products to increase its competitiveness in the international market.

"We should not expect a sharp increase in the number of AEO authorizations in the first years of the program. This is confirmed by the dynamics of many EU countries: the peaks in obtaining AEO authorizations were observed at more distant stages of the program implementation (from 7 to 12 years)," the Ministry of Finance emphasized.

The Ministry also noted that the slow dynamics in the initial stages of the AEO program implementation is typical for most European countries. In many of them, there was low participation due to a cautious approach to innovation and fears of change.

Despite the difficult conditions, Ukrainian companies are actively participating in the AEO program and the customs simplification system, using new opportunities that were previously unavailable. This opens up new prospects for their development.

According to the data, in the first four years after the launch of the AEO program in the European Union, from 2008 to 2011, companies in most EU countries demonstrated either similar or even lower rates of obtaining AEO status compared to Ukraine. In 17 EU member states, such as Romania and Slovakia, the pace was similar, while in Bulgaria, Greece, Lithuania and other countries it was much slower. Some countries, such as Croatia and Portugal, did not even have any AEO authorizations during this period.