On 15 February, a new modern Administrative Service Centre was opened in the village of Krasnopillya, Sumy Oblast, with the support of the U-LEAD with Europe Programme. From now on, 16 000 residents of the amalgamated hromada will have access to over 100 types of administrative services. Registration of residents, notary, social, pension, land services, registration of business and real estate are the most popular services to be provided in the new ASC.

The Krasnopilska AH has become an example of effective cooperation of hromada simultaneously with two international programmes in one domain. Representatives of the EU/UNDP Community-Based Approach to Local Development Project, who provided the hromada with a vehicle designed to deliver administrative services in remote AH settlements, also joined the launch of the ASC.

12 specialists who have passed advanced training, specially developed by the Ukrainian and Swedish experts of the Programme, will work in the ASC of the Krasnopilska AH, established in accordance with the European standards.

Susanna Dellans, Project Manager of the U-LEAD with Europe Programme’s Support to Improved Administrative Service Delivery, said: “We are very pleased that such active hromadas as the Krasnopilska AH have joined our Programme, as the Centre's opening was the result of an effective cooperation. More than 16 thousand residents of the Krasnopilska AH have received access to quality administrative services provided in comfortable conditions. We are pleased to see that the Swedish experience of provision of convenient and accessible services has been taken into account in the establishment of the ASC. We hope that the new Centre will become a pivot of positive changes, attracting citizens to the process of building their own region.”

Tamara Kharchenko, coordinator of the EU/UNDP Community-Based Approach to Local Development Project in the Sumy Oblast, noted: “The Krasnopilska AH has been our reliable partner since 2010. The fruitful years of cooperation have proven that a great desire for change and a small push can result in substantial transformations in the hromada. The introduction of this micro-project, that will enable the provision of quality administrative services to all categories of the population in the most remote corners of the hromada, is a vivid example of a successful cooperation of all involved partners for the common purpose.”

Yuriy Yaremchuk, head of the village of Krasnopillya, expressed his gratitude to the international partners: “We are extremely grateful to the international cooperation programmes for the excellent opportunity our hromada received. The new Centre will become a step towards a modern and high-quality format for administrative service provision, and the car will enable all residents of even the most remote settlements of the hromada to get access to them. All administrators have been trained and will provide high-quality services to the residents.”

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.