On 31 January, a new ASC was opened in the village of Severynivka in the Vinnytsya Oblast. It will provide over 100 types of administrative services to the hromada residents, including the most essential in the AH: residents’ registration, notarial, social, pension, land services, as well as services of local importance, business and real estate registration.

The Ukrainian and Swedish experts of the U-LEAD with Europe Programme made their contribution into the ASC establishment, providing assistance in the Centre’s institutionalisation, reconstruction of the premises, as well as furnishing and equipment of the ASC with modern appliances with specialised software. The new ASC has provided almost 5,000 hromada residents with the access to quality administrative services.

Severynivka ASC is another example of effective partnership between the hromada and an international donor programme. Specialists of the Centre have passed advanced training specially developed within the framework of the programme.

Susanna Dellans, Project Manager of the U-LEAD with Europe Programme’s Support to Improved Administrative Service Delivery, said: “We are very pleased to support and cooperate with such active hromadas as the Severynivska AH, and congratulate its residents on the opening of the new centre. From now on the high-quality administrative services have become much closer to the residents. I am convinced that the ASC will raise the living standards in the hromada and contribute to its sustainable development.”

Oleksandr Khrystyuk, head of the village of Severynivka, noted: “Cooperation with the U-LEAD with Europe Programme was extremely useful for our hromada, as we have opened a modern and comfortable administrative service centre, where the residents can not only receive services in a high-quality and convenient way, but also get invaluable experience of cooperation with international partners. We will continue working in order to improve the lives of hromada residents and prosperity of our region.”

Liliya Popova, head of the department for interaction with local authorities of MinRegion, expressed the hope that the Severinivka ASC will be the best and most efficient among the AHs, following an example of the Vinnytsya ASC, which has for many years been the leader among almost 750 ASCs of Ukraine. “Dear hromada, you are on the right path. Concern, cohesiveness and perseverance should become your guide on the road of changes. You have someone to learn from, you have many assistants and supporters, including primarily MinRegion,” said Liliya Popova.

On the eve of the opening, the residents were informed about the features of the ASC work, its advantages, rights and obligations of employees and consumers of services. The Centre is accessible to people with disabilities and has a children’s indoor play corner.

It is worth reminding that 26 ASCs will be opened in Ukrainian amalgamated hromadas within the framework of the U-LEAD with Europe Programme which aims at improving the delivery of local administrative services. The best practices for creating and improving the delivery of administrative services that are tested and implemented in the pilot hromadas of the inception phase will be applied to all ASCs to be opened or modernised within the next phase of the Programme. That is at least 600 ASCs by the end of 2020.