INTEGRITY AS A FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE IN THE FUNCTIONING OF CUSTOMS AUTHORITIES

Abstract

The article examines integrity as a key principle in the activities of customs authorities, which plays an important role in preventing and combating corruption, ensuring the effectiveness of public administration, and fostering public trust in public institutions. It is substantiated that integrity is not only an ethical category but also a complex legal and organizational phenomenon that directly affects the quality of performance of the functions entrusted to customs authorities. Scholarly approaches to defining the concept of “integrity” are analyzed, its content is revealed, and its correlation with such concepts as honesty, impartiality, professionalism, transparency, and accountability is determined. Particular attention is paid to the study of the principles governing the activities of customs authorities and to the place of integrity among them as a fundamental guideline for the conduct of officials. The article analyzes the regulatory and legal framework for ensuring integrity in the activities of Ukraine’s customs authorities, in particular the State Customs Service of Ukraine, and identifies problematic aspects of the practical implementation of relevant legal provisions. The role of anti-corruption legislation, codes of ethics, and mechanisms for preventing and managing conflicts of interest in shaping the integrity of customs officials is examined. International experience and standards in the field of integrity assurance are analyzed, including the recommendations of the World Customs Organization, as well as the possibilities for their implementation in national customs practice. The authors place special emphasis on the practical aspects of implementing the principle of integrity, in particular personnel policy, procedures for recruitment, evaluation, and training of staff, the functioning of internal control systems and disciplinary liability mechanisms, as well as the use of digital technologies as a tool for minimizing corruption risks. Based on the results of the study, conclusions and proposals are formulated aimed at improving the mechanisms for ensuring integrity in the activities of customs authorities, which will contribute to increasing the effectiveness of customs administration, strengthening the institutional capacity of the State Customs Service of Ukraine, and bringing its activities closer to European standards of public administration.