Ukrainian Customs officers complete a study visit to Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom to gain insights into practical ways to manage corruption risks in port[...]

• Ukrainian Customs officials travelled to Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom as part of a multi-country study visit organized by the WCO.
• The practical insights they gained will enable them to support ongoing reform efforts within the State Customs Service (SCS) of Ukraine, and the implementation of their national Anti-Corruption Programme.
• The visits were organized under the WCO Anti-Corruption and Integrity Promotion (A-CIP) Programme, funded by the Government of Norway. Peer-learning initiatives and the creation of solid bonds between administrations are considered critical elements of the A-CIP Programme's capacity-building activities.

As part of the WCO A-CIP Programme, a delegation from the SCS of Ukraine completed a multi-country study visits to Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. This followed intensive work by the Administration to map corruption risks, with support from experts through the WCO A-CIP Programme. Knowledge gained by participants during the study visit helped highlight practical ways to manage corruption risks in port environments, which will help the SCS implement anti-corruption initiatives within the framework of its national programme.

Providing a hands-on learning experience

At the Hamburg Customs Office in Germany, the delegation explored operational coordination mechanisms and integrity management, looking more specifically into how monitoring and oversight systems can be strengthened through close linking of internal audit and anti-corruption functions. The issue of corruption prevention was also examined from an organizational perspective, and the importance of integrating integrity considerations across different operational areas of Customs was highlighted.

At the Port of Rotterdam and Customs Headquarters in the Netherlands, the focus was on integrity management practices, internal control tools and methods, integrity awareness initiatives, personnel management and professional conduct, and approaches aimed at strengthening transparency and accountability. Delegates also discussed cooperation with the many actors involved in port operations and how to build resilience within Customs against increased pressure from organized crime.

The visit to Gatwick Airport in the United Kingdom provided an opportunity to exchange experiences regarding the use of technologies supporting border management, ways to enhance coordination with stakeholders, and practices aimed at promoting integrity and mitigating the risk of insider threats.

Supporting effective strategy implementation

The study visit followed intensive work undertaken by the Administration, with the support of the WCO A-CIP Programme, to map corruption risks. This work was carried out through a series of workshops organized between February and April 2026 that brought together an expert from the A-CIP team, an expert from Swedish Customs, the members of the SCS working group on corruption risk mapping, and members of the SCS Public Council, which is a temporary consultative and advisory body consisting of business and civil society stakeholders.

Once the review of the corruption risks was finalized, the working group contributed to the development of the SCS's Anti-Corruption Work Plan that ensures the adoption of a coordinated and evidence-based approach across the Customs departments. A revised and consolidated draft SCS Anti-Corruption Programme 2026-2028 was then submitted to the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) for review.

Next steps

The study visit enabled the SCS to identify key areas of work for the coming months:

• Strengthening the connections between the internal control function and the corruption prevention and detection function.
• Creating a new Code of Conduct specific to SCS officials that helps prevent misconduct, malpractice and corruption, as well as promote a culture of integrity within the Administration.
• Providing targeted support to SCS staff to build resilience in the face of increasing pressure from organized crime.

In addition, the study visit helped inform the creation of new mechanisms to improve coordination between the SCS and external stakeholders, including the private sector, civil society, and other government agencies. One such mechanism takes the form of a new series of online workshops organized with the support of the WCO A-CIP Programme. The series brings together participants from the SCS Corruption Prevention and Detection Department and the SCS Public Council. Four to five workshops have been planned between now and the end of the year, with the objective of identifying opportunities for multi-stakeholder initiatives and public-private partnerships to combat corruption and promote integrity.

The first one was held on 27 April 2026 and was opened by the newly appointed Head of the SCS of Ukraine, Orest Mandziy, and the WCO Deputy Secretary General, Ricardo Treviño. Speakers highlighted how Customs, the private sector, and civil society could work together to implement SCS's new Anti-Corruption Programme. Based on practice presented by an expert from the United Kingdom HM Revenue & Customs, they discussed the possibility of, for example, leveraging the Ukraine Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Programme by aligning it with the provisions of the 2025 edition of the SAFE Framework of Standards, which stipulates that AEOs must "have a Code of Conduct (Ethics) for employees which sets out in very practical and unambiguous terms the behavior expected of all personnel".

Thanks to funding provided by the Government of Norway, the SCS of Ukraine will continue benefiting from the WCO A-CIP Programme until September 2028. In the next few months, support activities will focus on the areas of work identified during the study visits, further enabling the SCS of Ukraine to adopt solutions and processes that are grounded in reality and deliver tangible results.