Lviv region has the largest network of administrative service centres in Ukraine, comprising 582 locations in the region’s territorial communities. However, administrative service centres are only a necessary condition for the development of quality administrative services. A sufficient condition should be the actual provision of national and local administrative services required by residents.

According to the legislative requirements, in particular, paragraphs 6 and 7, Article 12 of the Law of Ukraine “On Administrative Services”, two groups of administrative services must be provided in the ASC:

• the first one is defined by the Order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 523-r (as amended) dated 16.05.2014 “Some issues of administrative services provision through administrative service centres” (hereinafter – CMU Order No. 523),
• the second – administrative services provided by local self-government bodies (hereinafter referred to as LGBs), their executive bodies or officials.

Last year, almost all administrative service centres in the region updated the lists of administrative services owned by central executive authorities and administrative services provided by local self-government bodies in the exercise of their delegated powers in accordance with CMU Resolution No. 523. Almost all communities have completed or are in the process of completing access to the necessary registers and information systems, and ASC employees have started providing these groups of services. Quantitatively, this is from 225 to 400 administrative services, depending on the category of ASC.

Currently, the communities of the region have begun an active process of forming a list of services provided by local councils and transferring them to the administrative service centres. This was envisaged in the action plan “Concept for Improving the Activities of ASCs of Territorial Communities in Lviv Oblast for 2024-2026”, which was approved by the order of the Head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration of 07.03.2024 No. 195/0/5-24ВА.

It is worth noting that over the past year, some hromadas have added local council services to the lists of ASC, TA and RMA services in accordance with CMU Resolution No. 523. That is, some community leaders have positive experience, vision and understanding of the needs of residents in integrating local council services into ASCs. In order to accelerate the completion of this process in all hromadas of the oblast and ensure the provision of administrative services of local councils in the ASC, the Order of the Head of Lviv Regional State Administration No. 20/0/6-24VA dated 02.05.2024 was issued.

Therefore, the territorial communities of the region are now actively preparing an exhaustive list of administrative services of local councils. The heads of structural subdivisions in each community, in accordance with their powers, form their own lists of services, on the basis of which the lists of services of local councils will be approved. The basis for preparing such a list of services in each area of local government activity is the requirements of relevant laws and regulations, as well as information about these services in the national register of administrative services.

The following categories of services are among the most popular, and their information is included in the register of administrative services:

• architectural and construction activities (potentially up to 46 services),
• landscaping (potentially up to 53 services),
• Housing (potentially up to 38 services),
• land management, land surveying and cadastre (potentially up to 52 services),
• immovable property (potentially up to 20 services, of which 8 are delegated),
• civil registration (potentially up to 7 services, of which 3 are delegated),
• residence registration (potentially up to 20 services, of which 3 are delegated),
• social benefits (potentially up to 34 services),
• adoption, guardianship and custody (potentially up to 36 services).

The important results of forming the list of local council services and transferring them to ASCs, TAs and RMAs will be the implementation of the principles of

• integration of services and convenience of their receipt by residents in one place,
• increase the efficiency of employees of structural units of local councils, who will focus on improving the procedures for providing these services.

The Department for the Development of Administrative Services of the Digital Development Department has prepared an algorithm for compiling a list of local council services and provides information and advisory assistance to heads of local government departments, including

• periodic organisation of online meetings for heads of structural units to clarify the list of services;
• constant support in the established groups in messengers for communication between specialists of structural units on the preparation of the list and development of information and technological cards;
• approval of the final version of the list of administrative services of each territorial community.

“Provision of local council services in ASCs should not be a problem, because the owners of the services are their executive bodies. They should help administrators to master the peculiarities of providing these services, and provide residents with professional consultations in the ASC premises. If we do not transfer or delay the process of transferring local council services to ASCs, TAs and Hromada, residents will continue to look for a place and hromada officials and receive these services in not entirely convenient and accessible conditions,” said Maksym Stolyarchuk, head of the digital development department of the regional state administration.

At present, residents of Lviv Oblast can receive a fairly large number of administrative services, mainly from executive authorities, in convenient and accessible conditions (in most of them).

The formation of an exhaustive list of local self-government services and their transfer to ASCs, TAs, and RSAs will facilitate even greater integration (150 to 200 additional administrative services) and ease of access to these services in all ASCs in the region.