On 10 November, the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning held a roundtable discussion in Volyn oblast titled “Practice of Administrative Service Centres: Current State and Prospects. Regional Dimension. Volyn.”
The event brought together the First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Oleksandr Korniyenko, representatives of central executive authorities, local administrations, Administrative Services Centres (ASC) of Volyn oblast, the All-Ukrainian Association of ASCs, experts, and international partners, including experts of the Polaris Programme.
The discussion focused on the current state and prospects for developing the system of administrative service delivery in the context of decentralisation reform, as well as the challenges ASCs face under martial law. Participants discussed issues related to the provision of the most demanded services, the introduction of e-services, the readiness of hromadas to expand the list of available services, the optimisation of procedures, and the regulation of service fees.
In a “World Café” format, representatives of Volyn ASCs and experts worked through specific thematic areas – from civil status registration and social services to veteran services, vehicle registration, issuance of identity documents, and the overall functioning of the centres.
Head of the Subcommittee on Administrative Services and Administrative Procedures Larysa Bilozir emphasised:
“ASCs have become the true front offices of the state in delivering administrative services. Our main goal is to ensure that every Ukrainian, regardless of their place of residence, can receive a service in their hromada quickly and efficiently.”
Head of the Subcommittee on Administrative-Territorial Structure and Local Self-Government Vitalii Bezgin noted that despite the absence of state support since 2022, fewer than 10% of hromadas still lack an ASC, and in Volyn there is only one such hromada. He added: “According to the Ministry of Digital Transformation, 96% of citizens positively assess the quality of services provided at ASCs.”
During the panel discussion “Current State and Prospects of Administrative Service Delivery in the Context of Decentralisation Reform,” Viktor Tymoshchuk, Policy Expert of the Polaris Programme, stated:
“The reform of administrative services is one of the most successful, yet its potential for improvement remains significant. When decision making is assigned to local self-government, ASCs operate most effectively: hromadas independently organise the process, are responsible for the results, and can promptly respond to people’s needs. The draft law of the Ministry for Communities Development, which provides not only for ‘classical’ delegated decisions but also for optional delegation, opens new opportunities: capable hromadas will be able to voluntarily assume additional functions they can perform with quality. This is a flexible and forward-looking solution that we fully support.”
Following the roundtable, participants identified key issues requiring further resolution at both local and national levels. They emphasised the importance of interagency coordination, the development of digital services, and strengthening the capacity of hromadas to ensure high-quality administrative service delivery even under wartime conditions.
The event was supported by the Swiss-Ukrainian EGAP Programme implemented by the East Europe Foundation, the Swedish-Ukrainian Polaris Programme “Supporting Multilevel Governance in Ukraine,” and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy.
