The Federation of European Bars (FBE) has been informed that the Bulgarian Government has reduced the budget for legal aid and is very concerned about this. Furthermore, no payments to the National Bureau for legal aid have been made for work done since December 2009.

The FBE states that access to justice is a basic right under Art. 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights and that the due process of law requires the services of an independent lawyer at the expense of the state when the citizens cannot afford it.

General Congress of the FBE, Aix-en-Provence, May 22, 2010.