Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has had a working meeting with the chairman of the State Fiscal Service, Roman Nasyrov, and the head of the Transcarpathian regional state administration, Hennadiy Moskal, according to the Cabinet of Ministers' official website.
They discussed ways how to tackle smuggling and change the entire customs system accordingly.
Groysman said the problem of effective and "absolutely public" performance of the customs service was "absolutely topical".
He said he was expecting the local authorities and the regional state administration to accept responsibility for bringing back the order in customs and eradicating the so-called grey and black smuggling schemes.
"I would like you to, literally in a matter of a month, present results to society, citizens, and to me as prime minister, to make it clear to me that the system is operating in an open, public and coordinated manner," he said.
As far as changes in the customs operation are concerned, he said that scanners would soon be installed at checkpoints to inspect goods. Software will be advanced and the system of risk management will be tightened.
About 20 mobile teams manned by the National Anticorruption Bureau, the border troops, police and the State Fiscal Service will soon be set up to crack down on contraband.
Groysman said he would continue paying working visits to customs offices.
Moskal briefly toyed with the idea of stepping down as Transcarpathian border region after the local customs chief was appointed without his knowledge. However he decided against it after a meeting with the president.