The Working Group for the preparation of the first drafts of the Referral Protocol and Directory of organisations and institutions providing legal and other assistance in North Macedonia started its work. It is composed of representatives of the Ministry of Justice – the Free Legal Aid Unit and its Regional Offices, Civil Society Organisations, Legal Clinics and lawyers authorised to provide free legal aid.

The first meeting of this Working Group was held on 19 August 2020 using online video conference platform. The discussion was facilitated by the Council of Europe consultants, Mr. John Eams and Mr. Goce Kocevski, who are also the authors of the Guidelines for establishing of a Referral Protocol and Directory of organisations adopted at the third meeting of the National Co-ordination Body. All members of the Working Group confirmed their willingness and commitment to work together in the process of drafting, with the final aim to achieve referral system that contributes to improving access to justice.

The Protocol and the Directory will help towards achieving an effective referral system that increases the likelihood of citizens receiving free legal aid that meets their specific needs and interests. Appropriate referrals ensure that clients are routed to the most suitable and capable service providers.

The first drafts of the Protocol and the Directory are expected to be prepared by the end of September. They will be presented and adopted at the next meeting of the National Co-ordination Body.

The meeting was facilitated 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”.