Title: Unpacking free legal aid in practice
Duration: July 2019 – July 2020
Donor: Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Project value: 39,000.00 EUR

About the project: The main goal of the project is to improve access to justice and help develop the rule of law in Serbia. Access to justice in Serbia is particularly important in light of the recently adopted Law on Free Legal Aid and amendments to other legal acts that will have a direct impact on citizens’ rights.

The project will offer recommendations for improving the legal system, and will also assist in the implementation of the Action Plan for Chapter 23, and the commitments made within the EU accession process. One of the key problems in the process of implementing the Law on Free Legal Aid was the lack of public debate. In order to avoid repeating previous errors, detailed observation and intensive debate on the harmonization of procedural law are needed. Therefore, as part of the project, Yucom oversaw changes to the Civil Procedure Code and other procedural laws, as well as their harmonization with the relevant Law on Free Legal Aid. Also, Yucom will monitor the first six months of implementation of the Law on Free Legal Aid and the work of services and individuals in charge of providing free legal aid in cities and municipalities in Serbia, with special reference to the position of associations in the free legal aid system.