Digitalisation of the Free Legal Aid system was in the focus of the 17th meeting of the National Co-ordination Body for the implementation of the Law on Free Legal Aid (NCB), which gathered in Skopje representatives from the Ministry of Justice and its Regional Offices (ROs), Bar Association, relevant public institutions, civil society organisations (CSOs) and legal clinics authorised for providing free legal aid.
The digitalisation of the FLA system and the development of a software for processing FLA applications was considered a priority. A Council of Europe IT consultant provided an overview of the software’s features, development process, and the tools involved. The development of the software would ensure seamless interoperability with other institutions. The participants agreed that electronic access to the database would greatly streamline their workflow and improve overall efficiency of providing free legal aid to citizens.
Discussions that followed focused on key pressing issues, including the planning the budget of the Ministry of Justice dedicated to FLA, as stipulated under the Law on Free Legal Aid. Participants also highlighted the need for an effective implementation of Article 11 of the Law on Free Legal Aid which relates to providing direct financial support (grants) to authorized associations and legal clinics for projects aimed at offering primary legal aid.
The meeting was an opportunity to introduce key insights from the study visit to the Netherlands, renowned for its inclusive legal aid system. Good practices were shared and discussed on how these best practices can be adapted and implemented also in the context of North Macedonia.
The action “Towards a consolidated and more efficient Free Legal Aid (FLA) system in North Macedonia” will continue supporing the National Co-ordination Body on free legal aid in the efforts to improve co-ordination and communication among the main actors. The action is part of the “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”, a joint European Union and Council of Europe programme implemented by the Council of Europe.
