In order to inform the people of North Macedonia on the free legal aid opportunities and how to ensure better use and access to these services, an awareness-raising initiative is taking place from 16 July 2023– 30 September 2023, with informing events in all the regions in North Macedonia.  

The series of awareness-raising activities, supported by the EU and Council of Europe, are promoting the use of free legal aid, with a special focus on the vulnerable groups. These public meetings are reaching out to various local communities to provide them with detailed and relevant information on where and how they can find free legal aid, and which entities provide it.

During these events the participants will have the opportunity to pose questions to experts in the field and receive answers, as well as user-friendly information materials on the specific topics where free legal aid can be requested and provided, including domestic violence, property issues, discrimination and social protection, etc..

The informational activities organised in 15 municipalities in North Macedonia from 16 July to 30 September, are expected to enhance the knowledge about free legal aid among residents of local communities, but also among legal professionals, and thus support broader accessibility and use of these legal services, with a special focus on vulnerable groups such as on women, children and LGBTI communities.

The FLA awareness initiative, is being implemented in as of 2020 in North Macedonia, and aims at promoting these services as an available and functional mechanism offering efficient legal protection to the citizens and, most importantly, ensuring equal access to legal aid for those people who would not be able to afford it otherwise. During 2022, almost 6000 citizens in North Macedonia received primary legal aid and about 231 cases of secondary free legal aid. According to the official data the most cases of FLA aid are related with property issues, divorce, domestic violence and children protection.

The events are organised in the framework of the European Union and Council of Europe joint action “Towards a Consolidated and More Efficient Free Legal Aid (FLA) System in North Macedonia”, in close co-operation with the Ministry of Justice of North Macedonia and other the members of the National Co-ordination Body for Free Legal Aid: the Ministry’s regional offices, civil society organizations and legal clinics authorized to provide free legal aid (FLA).  It is part of the EU and Council of Europe joint programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye III”, a co-operation initiative to assist Beneficiaries in the Western Balkans and to comply with the European standards.