Measure 2.5.1
“Informing and raising the awareness of the subjects of the law “On free legal aid” about their rights to assistance and access to institutions which can resolve their disputes.”
Raising public awareness on the provision of legal aid and the conditions for obtaining it is a legal requirement (Article 8 of Law 111/2017) and at the same time a premise for the functioning of the legal aid system and strengthening citizens’ access to justice. In this view, the measure is necessary to achieve Outcome 2.5.1 and is also in line with the goals of Objective 2.4 to increase access to justice.
Referring to the Annual Report on the activity of Free Legal Aid Directorate (FLAD) for 2020, it is concluded that this directorate has paid increased attention to information about the free legal aid system by focusing on the development and publication of awareness materials. However, a priority in the focus of the primary legal aid service centers is planned to be the awareness-raising and education of citizens on the legal aid guaranteed by the state and which are the conditions to benefit from it, as one of the factors that directly affects the increase of the number of cases handled. In this regard, this measure comes in response to problems encountered in the field regarding the lack of information on the legal aid system. In this respect, the measure is current and in coherence with reality. A similar measure was found in CJS I, under Activity 3.03 f) ‘Awareness-raising campaign between the Ministry of Justice, the Chamber of Advocacy, and HJC’. The fact that this measure is included again shows that insufficient steps have been taken or accomplished in this regard and such a provision is in line with the conclusions and recommendations of the FLAD.
Conclusion: Raising public awareness on the legal aid system and other aspects of access to justice is a very important measure in function of the Strategic Objective to be effective in the system of free aid and access to justice. The measure is clearly formulated, is coherent and current.