site.btaJustice Minister: Government Increased Funding for Legal Aid by 50% in Past Year

The government has increased funding for legal aid by 50% over the past year, Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev said on Saturday in his address to the participants of a conference marking the 20th anniversary of the Legal Aid Act and the Protection against Domestic Violence Act. The event opened at the Museum of the Revival and Constituent Assembly in Veliko Tarnovo (Central Bulgaria), organised by the National Legal Aid Bureau under the patronage of the Justice Minister and hosted by Veliko Tarnovo Mayor Daniel Panov.

Georgiev recalled that after 26 years of monitoring, the Council of Europe officially closed the post-monitoring dialogue with Bulgaria, noting that one of the key policies recognised in this process was the work of the National Legal Aid Bureau over the past two decades.

He stressed that the purpose of free legal aid is to ensure that everyone, regardless of origin or financial situation, can receive support. “Only then does the law function as an adequate social regulator,” Georgiev said, adding that justice is not a system of “our people and your people,” but a system of rules.

With the support of the government and parliament, funding for legal aid has been raised by 50%, with special emphasis on protection from domestic violence, the Minister said.

He also congratulated all lawyers and social workers who contributed to strengthening the system during the past 20 years, presenting plaques to individuals with outstanding contributions.