site.btaUPDATED Bulgarian Institute for Legal Initiatives Director: Bulgaria Has Good Model of Legal Aid

Bulgaria has created a good model of legal aid, even in a European framework, Bulgarian Institute for Legal Initiatives (BILI) Director Bilyana Gyaurova-Wegertseder said on Wednesday in Sofia at the opening of a round table on legal aid. 

Caretaker Deputy Justice Minister Spaska Kincheva said that when speaking of equal access to justice, the focus is on vulnerable groups of people and those with low income. She pointed out that the National Legal Aid Bureau is entrusted with this task.

The state remains committed to improving legal aid activity, Kincheva added. She noted that a working group was meeting at the Ministry of Justice to update the payment of legal aid lawyers' remuneration.

Natalia Ilieva, Head of the National Legal Aid Bureau (NLAB), noted that national legislation regulates the parameters of legal aid in Bulgaria. She said that until the adoption of legal aid legislation, funds for access to justice were provided by the budget of the Supreme Judicial Council. In cooperation with the Bar, the state provides legal protection to vulnerable communities. Legal assistance is also to be provided in mediation procedures, she said.

The state has continued to provide legal aid to victims of domestic violence for nearly a year and a half. According to a Memorandum, the NLAB is cooperating very well with the Interior Ministry, so legal assistance is being provided to victims on the spot. This results in an immediate protection order for 24 hours, Ilieva said. Bar councils monitor the quality of legal aid. They are seriously involved in checking lawyers' reports, she added. 

Ilieva pointed out that there have been a number of calls to the single legal helpline. Starting next year, Ilieva said that hopes are for an increased budget and to increase the number of lawyers answering the phone from two to four.