Deputy Chairman of the Ukrainian Agri Council Mykhailo Sokolov has taken in a meeting between representatives of business associations and Head of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine Oleksandr Tsyvinskyi.

Mykhailo Sokolov congratulated the Head of the Economic Security Bureau on his appointment and emphasized the business community's expectations regarding the real fight against illegal economy.

According to him, this primarily concerns bringing to justice the organizers of large-scale tax evasion schemes.

“This will not only level the playing field, but also allow us to move toward the abolition or significant simplification of the Risk Assessment Criteria Monitoring System, export provision and other administrative measures that fight against the illegal economy but also create administrative pressure on business,” emphasized the UAC Deputy Chairman.

He drew particular attention to the problem of smuggling Polish cheese without paying VAT, which leads to lower prices for dairy products and annual losses for the industry of around UAH 5.2 billion.

At the same time, Mr Sokolov emphasized that such problems can only be solved through systemic changes, so the UAC is ready to actively participate in joint work with the Economic Security Bureau on improving legislation.

In turn, Oleksandr Tsyvinskyi outlined the main priorities of the agency's activities. According to him, the Economic Security Bureau will focus its resources on investigating large-scale cases that have a significant impact on the markets, rather than minor violations.

He emphasized that the Bureau will only work with companies where there are objective signs of systematic tax evasion, and the main task will be to bring the organizers of criminal schemes to justice.

The Head of the Economic Security Bureau emphasized his zero-tolerance policy toward corruption and called on businesses to report any cases of bribery by employees.

He said the main goal was to create a level playing field where entrepreneurs would win thanks to the quality of their products and services, not their “connections.”