The Centre for Customs and Excise Studies Supports Ukraine 17 March 2023

We are pleased to announce that the Centre for Customs and Excise Studies (CCES) at Charles Sturt University will provide support to the University of Customs and Finance in Dnipro, Ukraine (UCF) through access to its comprehensive course materials on EU Customs Law.

The commitment was reinforced today at a meeting held at the Ukrainian Embassy in Canberra between His Excellency Vasyl Myroshnychenko (Ambassador of Ukraine to Australia and New Zealand), Professor David Widdowson (CEO of CCES) and Professor Renée Leon (Vice Chancellor and President of Charles Sturt University).

Professor Widdowson said that in light of the European Commission’s historic decision to grant EU candidate status to Ukraine, CCES believed it could lend meaningful support by providing UCF with access to these materials. “We are keen to support UCF in its efforts to build the capacity of Ukraine Customs to develop customs policies and procedures that will facilitate its entry into the EU,” Professor Widdowson said. “In this small way, we hope to help Ukraine face the challenges of the future.”

Professor Leon said, “We are humbled to be able to provide our friends and colleagues with high-quality educational resources at a time when many Ukrainians have experienced displacement and complete devastation”.

H. E. Vasyl Myroshnychenko welcomed the initiative. “I welcome the support provided by Charles Sturt to the University of Customs and Finance. Partnerships such as this will prove invaluable in rebuilding our economy and society. Assisting Ukraine in this way will greatly support us in preparing for our future membership of the EU”.

The support being provided by CCES includes assisting UCFU to tailor the materials to meet Ukraine’s specific requirements and delivering a five-day course to familiarise UCFU’s lecturers with the materials, including the use of a specialised web-based navigation tool. “We are hoping to provide this on a face-to-face basis, possibly in Poland, but need to work through the logistics with UCF,” Professor Widdowson said. “If necessary, we will provide the familiarisation course online and ongoing mentoring will be provided for a minimum of two years.”

Professor Widdowson said CCES is also in the process of working with its UCF colleagues in Ukraine to develop their application for World Customs Organization (WCO) accreditation of their programs and is sponsoring its membership of the International Network of Customs Universities (INCU).