TRANSFORMATION OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE AND LEGAL STATUS OF THE REGIONAL SERVICE CENTERS OF THE MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS UNDER THE CONDITIONS OF STRUCTURAL CENTRALIZATION IN 2024–2025

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to clarify the content of the transformation of the administrative and legal status of the Regional Service Centers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs under the conditions of structural centralization in 2024-2025, to identify the legal risks of reorganization, and to formulate proposals for improving the regulatory framework governing the status of Territorial Service Centers.Results.The article examines the transformation of the administrative and legal status of the Regional Service Centers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine within the framework of the structural reform of 2024-2025.It analyzes the transition of the Regional Service Centers from the model of independent territorial bodies to the model of separate structural subdivisions (branches) of the Main Service Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as established by the new version of the Regulation on the Main Service Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs approved by Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine No. 786 of 12 November 2025.It is emphasized that the central issue for administrative and legal analysis concerns the impact of the reorganization on the scope of the legal personality of the Regional Service Centers.The administrative legal personality of a public administration body is traditionally examined in two dimensions: the internal organizational dimension (economic autonomy, legal entity status, and the right to manage property and financial resources) and the functional dimension (the scope of public-authority and public-service powers exercised in relation to private individuals).A comparative legal analysis of centralized and decentralized models of transport service administration is conducted using the examples of Ukraine, Georgia, Poland, and Lithuania.The study identifies legal risks associated with reorganization, including issues of legal succession, continuity of service provision, and certainty regarding the proper respondent in appeals against administrative acts.Proposals are formulated to improve the regulatory consolidation of the status of Territorial Service Centers as separate subdivisions.Conclusions.It is concluded that the transition of the Regional Service Centers from the model of autonomous territorial bodies to the model of separate structural subdivisions (branches) of a single legal entity is asymmetrical in nature.While it narrows the internal organizational (economic) legal personality of the Regional Service Centers, it preserves their functional competence in the provision of public services.For private individuals, the range of available services remains unchanged; however, the proper subject of the corresponding legal relations changes.