The first round of selection of participants in the Roll-Out Phase of the U-LEAD with Europe Programme was launched to improve the quality of administrative services provided to the population. Programme participants receive assistance in establishing or upgrading administrative service centres in hromadas.

The priority objective of the Programme is to support ASC establishment in the AHs and hromadas in the process of amalgamation. Hromadas of villages, settlements and cities with the number of residents from 5 to 50 thousand can join the Phase. There is also a joint application option.

The Roll-Out Phase is implemented within four rounds, and in each round the Programme will cooperate with approximately 150 hromadas. Representatives of local self-government bodies from 22 oblasts of Ukraine can participate in the first round.

All rounds include the following directions of support:

• Institutional support of the ASC: institutionalisation of the ASC, staff training, informing and involvement of residents;
• Financial support: furnishing, office equipment, software provision, development of new ASC design/zoning;
• Special types of assistance, including the setting of an electronic queue management system and a mobile ASC.

Hennadii Zubko, Vice Prime Minister – Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services, said: “The ASC is a new format of communication between the authorities and society. It is the face of the state in its communication with citizens. This communication should be convenient, comfortable and barrier-free. This is a step towards European society in Ukraine. It is one of the fundamental results of decentralisation, felt in hromadas today. The ASC network development in Ukraine is a sectoral dimension of the reform and one of the priority tasks. Decentralisation is a new quality of service provision, including administrative ones. I am grateful to our European partners and the U-LEAD with Europe Programme for systematic assistance and support in the implementation of the reforms.”

Martin Hagström, Ambassador of Sweden to Ukraine, noted: “I am glad that thousands of Ukrainian citizens already have access to 21 modern ASCs established with the support of the U-LEAD with Europe Programme, and I am sure that many more of Ukrainians will benefit from this Programme, now that the U-LEAD with Europe multiplies its activities within the Roll-Out Phase in 2018-2020.”

The budget of the U-LEAD with Europe Programme for the improved administrative service delivery to the population in 2016-2020 is about EUR 30 million.

The Poll-Out Phase will last until 2020 and envisages support for the establishment and upgrading of up to 600 ASCs, including the creation of the information and communication infrastructure of the ASC, in order to provide high-quality and accessible administrative services for the population.

The infographics on the first round of selection is available by the link: https://goo.gl/GDxQMt

Details regarding the terms of participation and submission of an application can be found on the website: https://tsnap.ulead.org.ua/ The deadline for submitting applications for the first round is 31 March 2018.