The Cabinet of Ministers approved the Strategy for Reforming Public Administration in Ukraine for 2026–2030 and the operational plan for its implementation on 10 June 2026. The document itself has only just been made public.

The Strategy is directly devoted to the reform of public administration. At the same time, some of the changes it envisages relate to local self-government and communities. These include, primarily, the future delineation of powers between levels of public administration, the further decentralisation of administrative services, the development of the network of Administrative Service Centres, and the implementation of the Law of Ukraine “On Administrative Procedure”.

Delineation of powers between levels of public administration

For local self-government, the most comprehensive part of the Strategy concerns the delineation of powers between levels of public administration.

The document provides for the introduction of such a delineation based on defined principles and criteria, in particular the principle of subsidiarity, across specific areas of public policy. The relevant approaches are to be applied in each sector, taking into account the results of the conducted analysis.

The Strategy states this as follows:

“...ensuring consistency between the functions, resources, and responsibilities of state bodies at different levels; the regulatory consolidation of the delineation of powers and its phased implementation, aimed at a clear distribution of responsibilities and the effective performance of public functions.”

It is also envisaged that sectoral legislation will be brought into line with the defined model for the delineation of powers and that this model will be applied in practice by executive authorities and local governments.

However, the Strategy does not specify exactly how particular powers will be delineated in particular areas. It sets out the principles and sequence for their further delineation.

The Operational plan sets out specific deadlines for this.

By the third quarter of 2027, it is envisaged that the principles and criteria for the delineation of powers between levels of public administration, by area of public policy, will be applied within the defined spheres of competence of local governments.

The next step is the adoption and implementation of the relevant legislation. The Operational plan stipulates that legislation on the delineation and distribution of powers between levels of public administration is to come into force by the first quarter of 2028.

The Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine, together with other central executive bodies, was designated as the body responsible for this area in the operational plan. The document was approved prior to the reorganisation of the Government; these matters now fall within the remit of the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Internally Displaced Persons of Ukraine.

Accordingly, the decisions to be prepared in fulfilment of this task under the Strategy must specify the future delineation of powers in the relevant areas and ensure that it is enshrined in law.

It is important that the Strategy itself links the delineation of functions to resources and responsibility for their implementation. This principle is also evident in the assessment of the current system of administrative services.

The authors of the document indicate:

“The delineation of powers and responsibilities between central government bodies and local governments in the provision of administrative services is not sufficiently effective and requires a systematic review. The current model fails to ensure coherence between functions, resources, and institutional capacity...”

As stated further on, this complicates the consistent devolution of service delivery powers to local governments and leads to central executive bodies being overburdened with operational functions that are not typical for them.

Decentralisation of administrative services: What is planned to be transferred to communities

The most specific tasks for communities set out in the Strategy relate to the further decentralisation of administrative services.

The document provides for legislative regulation of the delegation of priority administrative services to local governments and the integration of such services into the network of administrative service centres.

The Strategy explicitly lists the following among the services to be decentralised:

• services relating to the state registration of acts of civil status;
• administrative services of a social nature.

According to the document, this should facilitate the provision of comprehensive services relating to life events, improve coordination between the administrative service centres and service providers, enhance the accessibility of relevant registers, and simplify citizens’ access to services.

The Operational plan sets out specific legislative measures.

By the first quarter of 2027, the Cabinet of Ministers is to approve and submit to the Verkhovna Rada a draft law on delegating powers to local governments to provide administrative services in relation to the state registration of acts of civil status.

The Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine (following the reorganisation of the Government, this area of responsibility falls under the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Internally Displaced Persons of Ukraine) and the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine were designated as the responsible bodies.

Within the same timeframe, a draft law on the delegation of powers to local governments in social services must also be approved and submitted to the Verkhovna Rada.

The Strategy also sets out targets for the implementation of these delegated powers.

By 2028, 70% of local governments must ensure the implementation of delegated powers relating to the state registration of acts of civil status, and 65% must do so for social administrative services.

By 2030, these figures are to reach 90% and 80% respectively.

Separate targets were set for the level of public satisfaction with administrative services. For offline services, the figure is set to rise from a baseline of 73% to 80% by 2028 and 90% by 2030. For online services, it is set to rise from 85% to 88% and 90% respectively.

At the same time, the Strategy specifically emphasises the need to take into account the capabilities of communities during the further decentralisation of services:

“...implementation of the recommendations on the decentralisation of services set out in the White Paper on the provision of administrative services, developed by the Prosto programme, taking into account the institutional capacity of communities.”

Therefore, the institutional capacity of communities is explicitly identified as one of the factors to be taken into account during the further decentralisation of administrative services.

At the same time, the network of administrative service centres must be developed. From 2027 onwards, the Ministry of Digital Transformation is to conduct an annual analysis of its further development with a view to ensuring the accessibility of administrative services, and to submit a corresponding analytical report containing proposals to the Cabinet of Ministers.

The Strategy thus treats the decentralisation of certain administrative services, their integration into the network of Administrative Service Centres, and the further development of the network itself as interrelated tasks.

Administrative procedure: Readiness of local governments remains low

Another area of the Strategy that directly concerns local governments is the consistent implementation and application of the Law of Ukraine “On Administrative Procedure”.

The results of the survey cited in the document indicate that readiness for its practical application remains low at both local and central levels.

“According to the results of a survey conducted by the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Ministry of Justice in 2025, only 18% of the local government officials surveyed rate the readiness of the bodies in which they work to implement the Law of Ukraine ‘On Administrative Procedure’ highly, whilst among officials in central executive bodies, only %15 rate their own readiness for its practical application highly.”

The Strategy identifies the need to change established administrative practices, the inconsistency of certain special laws with the provisions of the Law “On Administrative Procedure”, and a lack of practical understanding and knowledge of its application in everyday work as among the main challenges.

The Strategy provides for the consistent implementation and application of this Law, and administrative procedures are to be applied “consistently and predictably, regardless of the authority, level of government, or form of service provision”.

For local governments, this goes beyond the mere provision of administrative services. It concerns the application of legally established administrative procedures in cases where local governments adopt administrative acts and interact with citizens and businesses.

The practical implications of the changes for communities set out in the Strategy will therefore be largely determined by the Government’s forthcoming decisions and legislative amendments – primarily by how specific powers are delineated between the different levels of public administration and how the principle of coherence between functions, resources, and responsibilities, as enshrined in the Strategy, is implemented.