Presenting the draft act, Justice Minister Vesna Skare Ozbolt said that an efficient and comprehensive system of free legal aid was of crucial importance for the full respect for citizens' rights and their equality before the law.
She recalled that so far, some civil society organisations had provided free legal aid, although this had not been legally regulated.
The draft law envisages the provision of free legal aid by lawyers and law schools and regulates activities of nongovernmental organisations in that field.
Not only Croatian nationals, but also persons who do not have Croatian citizenship and persons without any citizenship will be entitled to free legal aid.
With the adoption of the free legal aid act, Croatia will meet one of the conditions from its national programme for integration into the European Union, the minister said at the start of the Zagreb conference.
An assistant justice minister said all persons staying in Croatia would be entitled to free legal aid, which she said was important for victims of trafficking in human beings, asylum seekers and refugees.
Requests for free legal aid will be filed with offices of state administration at the level of counties.
Funds for free legal aid will be earmarked from the state budget as well as from local budgets.