Today in Kyiv, Aliona Babak, Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, and Stefan Schleuning, Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation to Ukraine, together with Velina Zayets, Head of Dunayivtsi AH, and Volodymyr Zrazhevskyi, Head of Mezhova AH, launched two mobile Administrative Service Centres (ASCs). Established with U-LEAD with Europe Programme’s support, these centres will provide administrative services to more than fifty thousand residents in eighty remote settlements.

The mobile ASC is a special vehicle, fully equipped for two administrators and three visitors, operating as an ASC office and providing “one-stop shop” services directly in towns and villages. “ASC on wheels” is also equipped with a mobile suitcase for provision of services at home.

Residents will be able to get the most popular services, such registration of residence, real estate, business, social services (state aid, subsidies, etc.), pension services, land services etc. in comfortable conditions. The mobile ASCs are equipped with a ramp and it is possible to pay with a card for paid services.

Aliona Babak, Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, took part in the opening ceremony of the mobile centres and stated: “One of the priorities of the authorities is to provide quality administrative services to every resident, regardless of their place of residence or ability to get to a stationary ASC. Mobile ASCs are launched with this purpose: for every resident to have access to the necessary public services in comfortable conditions close to home".

Stefan Schleuning, Head of Cooperation, EU Delegation to Ukraine highlighted at the launch ceremony: “The EU supports and will continue to support the Decentralisation reform that is being successfully carried out in Ukraine. The U-LEAD with Europe Programme, funded by European Union and its member states Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Poland and Sweden, supports the reform through the establishment of accountable and efficient Administrative Service Centres (ASCs) in newly amalgamated Ukrainian communities. The mobile ASCs make services accessible for the most vulnerable categories of residents living in remote settlements, such as the elderly or people with disabilities. We are very glad that the EU-funded Programme makes such an important contribution to the accessibility of quality services and the growth of Ukrainian hromadas”.

All employees of the ASCs have passed the training program developed by Ukrainian, Swedish and Estonian U-LEAD with Europe experts. A software complex for the ASC “Vulyk”, developed by the EGOV4Ukraine has been installed in hromadas’ mobile and stationary ASCs.

Susanna Dellans, Sida Programme Director of U-LEAD with Europe: “Within U-LEAD with Europe Programme, Sweden is responsible for establishment of more than 500 well-functioning Administrative Service Centres, which will provide access to high quality public services for more than 7 mln residents of hromadas across Ukraine. These two Mobile ASCs will go to hromadas in two different regions of Ukraine and will start providing quality services for more than 50 000 residents of 80 settlements. We are very proud that Sweden is part of this action and through the joint efforts Ukrainian and International experts together with the newly amalgamated hromadas, the residents of Ukraine will have access to qualitative services even in the most remote settlements”.

Bastian Veigel, GIZ Programme Director of U-LEAD with Europe: “I would like to emphasise that we work hand in hand with our Swedish colleagues in the frame of U-LEAD. We are on the same page at the national level in terms of supporting MinRegion (our main political partner) and we also contribute together to decentralisation and local empowerment. U-LEAD with Europe has supported all 1,004 amalgamated hromadas established to date, as well as other hromadas yet to be amalgamated”.

The mobile ASC of Dunayivtsi AH, Khmelnytskyi Oblast, will provide 24 services and 191 services through the joint stationary Centre of hromada and rayon. This is a unique case where all five hromadas of rayon have joined efforts and applied to participate in the Programme to receive a mobile ASC. With Programme’s support, the ASC’s administrator will also be working in the village of Velykyi Zhmanchyk.

The “ASC on wheels” of Mezhova AH, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, is also a joint ASC of hromada and rayon. It will provide 58 services in the mobile ASC and 193 services through the stationary ASC.

Both hromadas purchased equipment for mobile ASCs, equipped the garage, and repaired the premises of the stationary Centres. The mobile ASC of Dunayivtsi AH will also start issuing foreign passports.

"We are grateful to our international partners for their comprehensive support and professional assistance in improving the administrative service delivery system for our residents," - said Velina Zayets, Head of the Dunayivtsi AH at the presentation of the mobile ASC in Kyiv.

“The mobile ASC we received today will allow us to provide every resident of hromada and rayon with access to administrative services. Now, our hromadas will have an efficient system of services provision for the residents and business,” - added Volodymyr Zrazhevskyi, Head of Mezhova AH.

Up to 10 Mobile ASCs will be launched in Ukraine within the U-LEAD with Europe’s Support to Improved Administrative Service Delivery. By the end of autumn, six of them will start operating in Huliaypillya AH (Zaporizhzhya Oblast), Dunayivtsi AH (Khmelnytskyi Oblast), Mohyliv-Podilskyi (Vinnytsia Oblast), Olevsk AH (Zhytomyr Oblast), Ustyluh AH (Volyn Oblast). These six centres will provide more than two hundred thousand residents of 240 remote settlements with quality administrative services.