2/01/06

The European Grant for "Actions in support of civil society in the Member States which acceded to the European Union on the 1st May 2004".

For the year 2006 the Rule of Law Institute Foundation received a grant from the European Union for supporting the development of civil society in Poland.

This Grant is divided into three actions:

 a) The Monitoring and Reporting on Fundamental Rights in Eastern Poland (Lubelskie Voivoidship);

b) Assistance to Individuals;

c) Enhancing Legal Professionals Ability to Protect Fundamental Rights ;

a) Monitoring and Reporting on Fundamental Rights in Eastern Poland:

The Institute will monitor the respect for fundamental rights in eastern Poland, specifically as they relate to individual interaction with local, regional, national and Community government. The Institute will publish three reports of these findings, each dealing separately with fundamental rights in eastern Poland as they relate to local and regional government, the national government in eastern Poland, and the European Union in eastern Poland. Finally, a comprehensive report will be prepared at the end of the grant period. Each report will include statistical and anecdotal or observable evidence on these issues and will include recommendations for those involved in rights enforcement. The results would also be publicized.

b) Assistance to Individuals:

This Emphasis is divided into two parts:

1) Legal Clinic Programs: Current clinical programs in civil, criminal, administrative and refugee law will be strengthened and supplemented by programs on fundamental rights with a focus on the right to good administration, fundamental rights protection under the European Charter of Fundamental Rights and European Convention of Human Rights. The clinics geographic focus will expand to include medium and smaller cities in the region. This program will include training of law students and supervising legal professionals, as well as support to the administrative and management needs of the clinics.

2) Public Education: The Institute will produce in cooperation with local and regional government public education brochures that apprise individuals of their fundamental rights with regard to government services. Secondly working with local Universities and with schools located throughout the Voivoid the Institute will develop a street law legal education program, where law students are trained to teach fundamental rights to middle and high school students. Both groups of students will develop a greater understanding of their rights.

c) Enhancing Legal Professionals Ability to Protect Fundamental Rights:

LAW STUDENTS would be assisted by our clinical, street law and legal education programs.

LAWYERS: The Institute identifies those lawyers who are presently working with the non-governmental community in the region and provide training for them that would focus on oral and written advocacy, fundamental rights protection, and NGO development and sustainability. An assessment would be conducted on the needs of these professionals, along with an action plan on how these needs could be met.

JUDGES: Training would be conducted for lower (Regional) court Judges in the Lubelskie region. This training would focus on legal skills development, fundamental rights implementation in the courts and on practical legal ethics.

LEGAL EDUCATION: Young law faculty members in the region will be trained on fundamental rights protections and on skills that will allow them to be effective teachers. Curriculum development in fundamental rights and legal skills development will be an important aspect of this project.