The U-LEAD's project "Support of Administrative Service Centres Establishment in Ukraine" has joined the process of establishing administrative service centres in the amalgamated territorial communities.  The project plans, in particular, to open not less than 24 administrative service centres in the established amalgamated communities by the end of 2017 and more than 600 centres, by the end of 2020.

That was discussed at the meeting on pressing issues of cooperation with the projects in the area of decentralisation in Ukraine supported by the Government of Sweden, which meeting was held in the Ministry of Regional Development.

Pointing out the slowing of the process of administrative service centres establishment in the amalgamated communities, First Deputy Minister of Regional Development, Construction and Housing and Communal Services of Ukraine Viacheslav Nehoda noted:

"The democratic, open, and rigorous selection of communities for which we, together with the European partners, planned to provide assistance slowed down to some extent the process of the administrative service centres establishment. However, there are positive results - in some communities the administrative service centres have been already opened. We expect that this powerful  project will revive and give a new impulse to the process based on the competition held and positive experience got by the communities".

He also underlined that administrative service centres in the amalgamated communities would have to combine administrative services and the services provided by local self-government bodies.

"People should get maximum services in one place rather than scurry from the administrative service centre to the village or city council and to the headman", Viacheslav Nehoda said.

According to him, it is important to establish such centres not only in the communities that have already amalgamated but also in the communities which are on their way to amalgamation. "Such communities have to make people see that, after the amalgamation, the services will only become better and that there is nothing dreadful when there is no village council somewhere. Where there is a modern administrative service centre, people will perceive the amalgamation easier and more reasonably", the First Deputy Minister believes.