The 7th meeting of the National Co-ordination Body for implementation of the Law on Free Legal Aid in North Macedonia took place online on 5 of November to discuss important matters concerning a more efficient implementation of the Law on Free Legal Aid in North Macedonia.
36 representatives from the key institutions in the field of free legal aid such as the Ministry of Justice and its Regional Offices (ROs), Bar Association, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Legal Clinics authorized for providing free legal aid, had the opportunity to exchange views and opinions in addressing key challenges related to the free legal aid system in North Macedonia. The discussed topics included the challenges of the application of the legal framework concerning exemption from "other costs related to the court procedure" in practice, and the legal grounds and practical considerations for filing complaints via the Regional Offices instead directly to Ministry of Justice as a means to speed up the procedure.
In addition the second meeting of the Local Co-ordination Body for implementation of the Law on Free Legal Aid ( LCB) in Bitola took place on 4 of November with key representatives from the key institutions in Bitola involved in the field of free legal aid such as the Ministry of Justice’ Regional Office, authorized Civil Society Organisation and Legal Clinic, as well as local lawyers,
One of the objectives of the meeting was to identify and discuss the challenges in the implementation of the Law on Free Legal Aid in Covid-19 circumstances and to improve the coordination and communication with the stakeholders when addressing those challenges in the local level.
During the event, was presented the Referral Protocol which was considered important for an effective referral system that contributes towards improving the access to justice.
During the discussions, a particular focus was devoted to the awareness raising campaign for FLA and specific actions in reaching the most vulnerable groups including key promotional and informational activities and the new FLA website. The participants also shared their positive experiences in informing the local communities on the right to FLA.
The National Co-ordination Body and the Local Co-ordination will continue their work and commitment towards achieving better coordination and communication among the main actors in the Free Legal Aid system in future.
The process of enhancing the efficiency and accessibility of free legal aid provision for the citizens of North Macedonia, is supported by the action “Supporting enhanced access to higher quality Free Legal Aid services in North Macedonia” which is part of the joint European Union/Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”.
