On 7 September, an Administrative Service Centre was opened in Merefa, Kharkiv Oblast, with the support of the Ukrainian and Swedish experts. Hromada residents have access to 200 types of quality administrative services, including the most essential ones.

The U-LEAD with Europe Programme assisted in the institutional establishment, modernisation of the centre and equipment of 14 ASC workplaces with furniture and IT appliances. The staff also underwent a training course under a five-module system, including training on the work with the ASC automation software complex “Vulyk”, installed and developed by the EGOV4UKRAINE project, which is implemented within the framework of the U-LEAD with Europe Programme.

The hromada carried out reconstruction of the premises of almost 900 square metres with the assistance of the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine and Kharkiv Oblast State Administration.

Susanna Dellans, Project Manager of the U-LEAD with Europe Programme’s Support to Improved Administrative Service Delivery, noted: “Quality administrative service provision to residents is one of the priority tasks of local authorities, which, through decentralisation, has not only gained new opportunities but also increased responsibility for the future of the hromada. We are extremely pleased that the Merefyanska hromada has become our Programme participant and we congratulate its residents with the opening of a modernised Centre that will deliver only quality administrative services in comfortable conditions.”

Yulia Svitlychna, Head of the Kharkiv Oblast State Administration: “The ASC in Merefa is a great example of cooperation between our international partners, the U-LEAD with Europe Programme, the Government, the Ministry of Social Policy and local authorities for the benefit of hromada residents. We are grateful to all the partners for their contribution to the development of our region and hope that in the future even more oblast residents will receive quality administrative services. Therefore, we aim to continue our work on the development of the modern ASC network, as well as on extending the services these centres provide.”

We remind that within the Roll-Out Phase of the U-LEAD with Europe Programme’s Support to Improved Administrative Service Delivery, up to 600 ASCs are to be established and modernised in the hromadas of Ukraine by the end of 2020.