A Synthesis report, based on the results obtained from the mapping and the National Conferences held in each participant
country, has been completed.
The synthesis report analyses the existing UK, Irish and Romanian experience in citizen assistance models and then passes to analyze the citizen assistance service in Western Balkan and Turkey.
The main objective of this work is to map existing information and assistance services in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Serbia and Turkey and make recommendations on how such services might be strengthened.
In order to have an in-depth vision of the already present assistance service, ECAS and the partners developed a survey involving civil society organisations and government agencies that provide information, advice and active help to citizens in the countries covered by the project. According to the answers given by the participating organisations, partners provided analyses of the current situation and formulated recommendations.
Citizens’ assistance services are provided in response to peoples’
needs to find information concerning their rights as citizens and to empower citizens in exercising those rights. The assistance services are based on the principle that everyone has the right to be informed of their rights with a confidential, independent and impartial system free of charge.
UK Experience in Assistance Model
In the UK, citizens’ assistance services are relatively well established and several organisations, like Citizens Advice Bureau – CAB, provide information, advice and active help to citizens on all issues including debt, employment, immigration and consumer issues.
Another source of general information is AdviceNow, which operates a website that aims to provide legal information in a user-friendly way.
In addition to the general assistance service there are other assistance services that provide help on specific issues
The Irish experience
The Citizens Information Board (CIB) is the statutory body which supports the provision of information, advice and active help on a broad range of sectors. It hosts the Citizens Information website and supports the voluntary network of Citizens Information Centres – CIS.
CIS provides face-to-face, telephone and email advice from 42 services and 260 locations nationwide. As result, citizensinformation.ie was named “most useful website in Ireland” in October 2010. In Ireland there are also a small number of Community Law Centres and Specialist Law Centres.
Assistance Model in Romania
The National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux (NACAB) was founded to support and direct the activities of the Citizens Advice Bureaux in
Romania. It achieved great results in Romania in the field of citizens participation in decision-making and citizens’ access to public information.
Nevertheless, there is still a lot to be done in this field. Citizens have to be provided with free access to complete and intelligible information as a pre-condition for their involvement in the public decision making process.
Citizens Assistance Service in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina has made significant
progress since the conflict in the mid 1990s, but it still faces several development challenges such as high unemployment, underdeveloped rural areas, inefficient social welfare system.
The current free legal aid system is unable to provide minimum legal assistance services to all citizens on an equal basis and BiH does not fulfill the international and European standards in this field.
A survey on the provision of information, advice and legal aid services in BiH was organized throughout the period from March to May 2013 in order to identify gaps in the service and to develop policy recommendations.
What emerges is that free legal aid service in civil cases continues to be mainly provided by privately funded NGOs, while legal assistance delivered in criminal cases is provided through court-appointed lawyers.
The mapping exercise of information services in BiH indicates an asymmetrical and decentralized practice. The access to justice remains unavailable for many rural populations whereas free legal aid is available for citizens living in larger towns.
Citizens Assistance Service in Croatia
While the Croatian Constitution requires the legal profession to provide legal aid, the provision of information to citizens is not the subject of all-inclusive legislation framework.
Through the implementation of the project “Civil society organizations’ initiative for
changes in anti-discrimination policy” a number of Croatian civil society organisations were tasked with monitoring the implementation of the Legal Aid Act including the collection and analysis of data.
According to a survey conducted in Croatia, citizens are not satisfied with the current legal aid provided. Only 13% of survey respondents indicated the legal framework as satisfactory. (picture)
The state must be encouraged to dedicate further resources to legal aid in order to ensure that all persons living in Croatia are able to exercise their fundamental rights.
Citizens Assistance Service in Kosovo
Access to legal aid is ensured by Article 6 of the European Convention of Human Rights as an integral part of the right to fair trial. In this sense over the years the ECHR has delivered several decisions on legal aid ensuring that the principle of access to justice is well protected.
The Constitution of Kosovo has emphasized the basic principles in providing free legal aid to those without sufficient
financial means if such assistance is necessary to ensure effective access to justice.
The research on the availability of information and assistance services for citizens in Kosovo has shown that the leading providers of information are relatively small in number. Among them we can find the Ombudsman, the Legal Aid Agency, Human Rights Units within the ministries and municipalities as well as NGOs. At present there isn’t a government website that provides comprehensive information on people’s rights
Citizens Assistance Service in Serbia
According to the article 67 of the Serbian Constitution, everyone has the right to legal representation under conditions to be laid down by law. Despite it, a free legal aid does not appear to be adequately regulated in Serbia.
A survey on the provision of information, advice and legal aid was undertaken in Serbia from March to May 2013. It revealed that advice and assistance are currently offered by municipalities, association and NGOs, the Ombudsman, the Commissioner for protection of equality, trade unions and legal clinics of universities faculties of law.
According to the survey data, there is significant disparity in legal assistance between rural and urban areas. The survey also revealed that there are very few providers of information and advice on taxes, debts and bankruptcy in Serbia.
Citizens Assistance Service in Turkey
In Turkey there is not a system able to inform citizens on their rights and responsibilities and provide active help. Several CSOs provide legal aid and advice services together with Bar Associations (mostly committed in juridical aid and services regulated by law).
Moreover, in Turkey does not exist a code regulating the citizens&
rsquo; information offices or law centres. The most important obstacle, according to the results of a survey conducted in Turkey, seems to be the lack of interest by government and local authorities.