The Parliament of Ukraine criticized the work of the Bureau of Economic Security for the year 2025
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine’s Committee on Finance, Taxation, and Customs Policy expressed dissatisfaction with the results of the Bureau of Economic Security (BEB) in 2025, citing worsening economic conditions in the country.
Members of Parliament, after hearing the BEB’s report for 2025, noted a significant increase in the level of the shadow economy. According to the committee’s data, by the end of 2025, this rate had risen to 17.8% compared to 12.6% in October 2024. In the view of the parliamentarians, this indicates the inefficiency of the bureau’s work and manipulation of the average annual figure.
The deputies paid special attention to problems in the tobacco industry, where the tax indicators of producers and the size of the illegal market deteriorated. The committee also noted a decline in the analytical work of the BEB and a decrease in the effectiveness of pre-trial investigations: out of less than 13% of criminal cases in 2025, only about 8% were referred to court in the first quarter of 2026.
Other areas of the bureau’s work, such as combating business fragmentation, personnel renewal, internal control, and interaction with tax authorities, were also called into question. Parliamentarians pointed out the lack of strategic planning and systematic work in the department.
The head of the committee, Danylo Hetmantsev, stated that the committee would systematically monitor the activities of the bodies responsible for deterring the shadow economy, hearing their reports monthly. He also emphasized the need to focus on identifying the most risky sectors and increasing the effectiveness of budget revenues.
| Year | Shadow Economy Level (%) |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 12.6 |
| 2025 | 17.8 |
These data raise questions about the need to review approaches in the activities of the Bureau of Economic Security. Experts believe that the government should pay attention to defining new strategies for combating economic crime to stabilize the economic situation in Ukraine.
