Cabinet of Ministers Complicates Importation of Humanitarian Aid to Ukraine

The mechanism of legalization, custom formalities and importation to Ukraine of humanitarian aid has changed considerably since December 2012 due to a reform of the administrative system by the government. The strongest effect on the humanitarian activity of churches and other benefactors was made by the liquidation of the Committee on Humanitarian Aid of the Cabinet of Ministers triggered by the alterations to the Law of Ukraine “On Humanitarian Aid,” the Institute for Religious Freedom (IRF) reported.

Since December 2, 2012, when the powers of the liquidated committee were passed to the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, humanitarian activity of religious organizations has become actually impossible due to the lack of the appropriate normative legal basis, ambiguity and length of cargo legalization procedures.

For example, the Cabinet of Ministers passed the new procedure for registering recipients of humanitarian aid as late as on January 30, 2013. According to the document, religious organizations should undergo again the procedure of inclusion to the unified register of recipients of humanitarian aid. The procedure does not stipulate specific terms necessary for the Ministry of Social Policy to make the final decision regarding the inclusion of a claimant in the register.

In addition, the law does not stipulate a specific term during which the ministry should consider the question of recognition of the declared goods, works or services as humanitarian aid.

The delays with the recognition lead to additional expenses for storing the goods in temporary warehouses of the custom service and to imposition of VAT and custom dues if the recognition is refused by the Ministry of Social Policy. As the result, the recipients of humanitarian aid have to renounce the cargos in favour of the state and the foreign benefactors lose sense to send the aid to Ukrainians.