The Rumichaca international bridge over the Guátira River is the main border crossing point between Ecuador and Colombia. Around 1,700 people pass through this area every day. Migration officials have the challenge of identifying in a very limited time whether people trying to enter the country meet the requirements, whether they may be committing a crime, or be victims of human trafficking or smuggling.

Through the European EUROFRONT programme, experts from the Spanish National Police travelled to the city of Pasto (24-28 July) to exchange knowledge with 37 Migration Colombia officials from various regions of the country. The objective of these sessions was to develop their skills in interviewing techniques on the first and second line of the border.

This activity is part of the border management training programme for migration officials from seven partner countries: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador. Rumichaca is one of the four pilot borders with which the programme is working, along with the Triple Border, Bermejo-Aguas Blancas and Desaguadero. The aim of these actions is to contribute to the security and protection of human rights by strengthening the effectiveness of border management.

Public expertise: Spanish National Police

José María Peche, chief inspector of the Spanish National Police’s Central Border Unit, stresses the importance of the first filter that officials make at checkpoints: “The observation of gestures and attitudes that may indicate certain anomalies, asking key questions that help clarify whether the information is true, are fundamental”. To this end, the trainers have shared with Colombian officials recommendations and protocols that allow them to carry out border inspections in the most efficient manner.

“The correct application of protocols guarantees that procedures are efficient, that the rights of citizens in transit are respected and that victims of crime can be protected,” adds Peche.

Among the lessons learned are the application of impartiality, the non-criminalisation of the traveller, the acceptance of cultural differences, how to avoid prejudice and discrimination based on religion, sex, ethnicity or any other reason.

First and second line interviews

It must be underlined that frontline border officials have very little time to identify signs that may indicate irregularities. They have on average only 90 seconds to exercise this first filter. With expertise, experience and technique, they must decide whether the indications require further questioning, the so-called “second line interview“, where migration agents have the possibility to verify information.

This is why, experts explain, border interviews are not only about stopping irregular entries or detecting criminal acts. Behavioural observation is crucial for identifying citizens who may be victims of human trafficking or smuggling and facilitating their protection.

Andrés Francisco Mora has been working at the Rumichaca border for four years. The number of people in transit who have passed in front of his window is incalculable. In the words of the expert, “already the behaviour of the travellers in the queues, the gestures or the way people in groups act show that something is not right”. His and his colleagues’ expertise at the counter has made it possible to avoid several cases of minors who were going to be taken out of the country irregularly. “The training is an added value for us that helps us to do our work better,” adds Mora.

Results of cooperation

In short, the officials have learned how to detect identifiers of a possible victim of trafficking, what questions to ask to verify it, how to ensure respect for the rights of persons in transit and apply the gender perspective, among other contents.

In the last 14 months, around 200 Migration Colombia officials have received face-to-face training in migration management, mainly identification of false documents, or first and second line interviews. In addition, around 1,500 have completed online training on the subject, training that has also been replicated in the rest of the countries with which the Programme works.

Moisés García, Migration Colombia Representative in the Nariño Region (where the Rumichaca border is located) highlighted the importance of the capacity building that officials have been able to receive in the framework of the EUROFRONT programme: “They contribute to reinforce the institutional commitment to make borders safer and more humane”.

45 000 000 000 (45 billion euros) for Latin America. This was announced on Tuesday in Brussels by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, at the EU-CELAC summit. The meeting comes after eight years as one of the commitments of the Spanish Presidency of the European Union.

The funds will be used to finance digital, climate and energy, transport, health, education and research infrastructures. These priorities are part of the Global Gateway initiative, Europe’s strategy for sustainable and reliable connections to improve the lives of people and the planet. It is the European Union’s bid to position itself in the world.

The FIIAPP and the Spanish Cooperation are part of this effort and we welcome its economic rubric. From FIIAPP we will accompany it with specific projects such as Euroclima and Amazonía+ (on green transition policies), AL-INVEST (on sustainable agricultural trade and exports) or the Digital Alliance (with a specific component on data governance), among others. We will do it the way we know how to do things in our organisation: mobilising public talent from EU Member States’ institutions, establishing horizontal dialogues between counterpart administrations and listening and adapting the implementation of projects to the specific demands of each country. These elements are essential for European-style cooperation, inseparable from the promotion of values such as democracy, the rule of law, social cohesion and multilateralism.

The figure is significant, and the starry ring will now be more visible in many corners of the region, from the Andes to the Amazon and from the Caribbean to Patagonia. But the promised 11 digits will have meaning (and impact) only if three conditions are met:

1) that these investments last over time, 2) that they reach a massive number of people, leaving no one behind and 3) that they are geared towards achieving concrete development results such as access to basic services like justice, education or health, sustainable economic growth, environmental protection or reducing inequality, which are so important in the final stretch of the 2030 Agenda. And this cannot be done by cement or coltan. This is where public institutions and systems come into play, to provide the structures (the hardware) with the necessary software to function: rules, laws and public policies that adequately guide investments, make them accessible to all people, provide for their sustainability and ensure that they fit in with the development priorities of our partner countries.

At the FIIAPP we are ready to support this renewed commitment to the Euro-Latin American space and the new approach to Latin America, one of the European Union’s natural and preferential partners. Beyond trade and investment relations, we are united by solid ties based on our shared values. We have been connecting institutions in the two regions for 25 years. From here, our entire team will continue to work so that, beyond numbers, Europe and Latin America will be a partnership based on values, aimed at tackling shared challenges with a roadmap in the form of a common development agenda.

Specialists of our European cooperation projects assess, from their experience, the importance of public technical cooperation:

“From the European cooperation programme AL-INVEST Verde, we cooperate with Latin American public institutions to promote public policies that facilitate the adaptation of their agro-export sectors to the sustainability standards of the European Union. It is essential that we work hand in hand to build a solid and consistent regulatory framework that encourages the adoption of sustainable practices throughout the production chain. Beyond economic investment, collaboration between European and Latin American specialists generates a comprehensive approach that guarantees the use of best practices for sustainable development”.

Emilio Calvo. Director of AL-INVEST Verde

“Protecting data is protecting rights. In a globalised world, it is necessary that all countries offer the same guarantees when it comes to protecting the data of all citizens. Common public policies avoid fragmentation in the use of data, where people’s rights are most vulnerable. The large multinationals negotiate country by country, looking for where the legislation favours them most, so if there are public policies and common legislative frameworks, all states and regions can speak from the same position with the largest technology companies. People’s rights and freedoms are better protected when the region’s policies are aligned with each other, and if they are also in line with the EU, we will be able to provide more global responses to global problems. To achieve this, in addition to funding cooperation, it must be equipped with expert hands that can work from connected public systems around the world”.

Rosario Heras. Data Governance Expert of the EU-LAC Digital Alliance Support Programme

“The energy transition must be the vehicle to reduce social and economic gaps by ensuring that the benefits are shared equitably. This means taking into consideration the most vulnerable groups such as youth, indigenous communities or women by facilitating their full participation in decision-making. This is why the EU’s Global Gateway Strategy is so vital, as it includes three fundamental pillars for this: research, education and action for climate empowerment.

Elsa Velasco. FIIAPP specialist in the European Euroclima programme

La République islamique de Mauritanie (RIM), située sur la côte atlantique de l’Afrique de l’Ouest, est un pays d’origine et de transit pour les migrations irrégulières vers l’Europe. Bordée à l’est par le Mali, au sud par le Sénégal et au nord par l’Algérie et le Sahara occidental, elle constitue un point de passage privilégié vers l’Europe, notamment en raison de la proximité de son littoral avec les îles Canaries.  

En 2020, le nombre d’arrivées en Europe par la route ouest-africaine a considérablement augmenté et, en janvier 2021, les chiffres ont été multipliés par dix par rapport à la même période de l’année précédente. Selon une analyse du Conseil européen, cette augmentation des arrivées est en partie due aux mesures liées au COVID19 adoptées par plusieurs pays africains. Celles-ci semblent avoir entravé les mouvements le long des routes migratoires traditionnelles et détérioré les conditions de vie socio-économiques dans de nombreux pays d’origine.  

 Les principales villes de Mauritanie  

Nouakchott occupe une position centrale dans la région, reliant l’Afrique du Nord à l’Afrique subsaharienne. C’est une ville diversifiée et multiculturelle qui concentre une grande partie de l’activité économique du pays. Nouakchott est devenue un point de transit pour les migrants se rendant en Afrique du Nord ou en Europe et une ville de destination pour la plupart des immigrés mauritaniens. Malgré l’importance économique et commerciale de Nouakchott, peu de statistiques récentes sont disponibles sur la population immigrée de la ville.  

Située à la frontière nord de la Mauritanie, la ville de Nouadhibou, avec ses 142 000 habitants, est un centre portuaire et commercial dynamique. Sa position stratégique la rend très attractive pour les nationaux comme pour les étrangers ; en effet, les migrants constituent une communauté importante au sein de la population de la ville. Selon une étude réalisée en 2019 par l’Organisation internationale pour les migrations (OIM), de nombreux migrants viennent à Nouadhibou pour trouver du travail ou parce que la ville côtière est un point de transit privilégié sur la route migratoire vers l’Europe ou les pays d’Afrique du Nord. 

Juridiction en Mauritanie  

La loi définit la notion d'”entrée irrégulière” comme “le franchissement des frontières pour entrer légalement dans l’Etat d’accueil alors que les conditions requises ne sont pas réunies” et le “crime de trafic illicite de migrants” comme “le fait pour un groupe criminel organisé ou toute autre personne d’assurer sciemment, en vue d’en tirer un avantage financier ou un autre avantage matériel, l’entrée irrégulière d’une personne dans un pays dont elle n’est ni ressortissante, ni résidente permanente”.  

La politique migratoire de la Mauritanie à l’égard de l’Union européenne s’inscrit dans le cadre du dialogue politique sur la migration et contribue au suivi des conférences de Rabat et de Tripoli. En outre, la Mauritanie participe au dialogue international sur la migration au sein des Nations Unies. Après avoir signé la Déclaration de New York pour les réfugiés et les migrants en 2016, la Mauritanie a adopté le Pacte mondial pour des migrations sûres, ordonnées et régulières en 2018 et a signé la Déclaration conjointe de Niamey sur le trafic de migrants et la traite des êtres humains la même année. Le pays a également ratifié la Convention de Genève relative au statut des réfugiés du 28 juillet 1951 et son protocole de 1967 en 1987.   

Ces dernières années, le cadre juridique mauritanien en matière de migration a été renforcé. Faisant suite au protocole contre le trafic illicite de migrants par terre, mer et air, ratifié par le pays en 2005, la loi n°2010.021 du 15/02/10 portant incrimination du trafic illicite de migrants garantit la protection des victimes du trafic illicite de migrants et renforce la répression des réseaux de passeurs, jusqu’alors relativement à l’abri en raison de la faiblesse des sanctions prévues par le système juridique en vigueur. 

Lutte contre la traite et le trafic de migrants   

Au niveau régional, le pays facilite la coordination de la lutte contre les réseaux criminels liés à la migration irrégulière le long de la route atlantique. Le 24 décembre 2020, une réunion par vidéoconférence a été organisée, réunissant les ministres de l’Intérieur de Mauritanie, du Mali et du Sénégal, ainsi que le ministre des Affaires étrangères de Gambie. L’objectif de cette réunion était d’analyser les défis posés par la réactivation de la route migratoire de la côte atlantique, en vue de renforcer la coordination et les capacités de lutte contre l’immigration irrégulière et les réseaux de trafiquants d’êtres humains. Cette initiative prévoit l’organisation de réunions mensuelles en 2021.  

Le Fonds fiduciaire d’urgence pour l’Afrique (FFU) de l’UE finance pour trois ans le projet “POC Mauritanie : Lutte contre la traite et le trafic de migrants illégaux” à hauteur de plus de 4 millions d’euros. L’objectif du projet est d’assurer une lutte efficace contre les réseaux criminels impliqués dans le trafic de migrants et la traite des êtres humains et d’améliorer le contrôle de la migration irrégulière en Mauritanie, un point de transit crucial sur la route du sud vers l’Europe, en particulier via les îles Canaries.  

Ce projet européen, mis en œuvre par la FIIAPP avec le concours de spécialistes de la police nationale, vise à améliorer les capacités d’enquête de la police mauritanienne (DST), par le biais d’une équipe conjointe d’enquête médico-légale au sein de laquelle des spécialistes européens accompagneront et encadreront en permanence leurs homologues mauritaniens. En outre, dans le cadre des efforts internationaux visant à améliorer le contrôle de la migration irrégulière tout en respectant les droits de l’homme des migrants, le projet vise également à améliorer la gestion du système de gestion des migrations. 

Résultats du projet  

Le projet POC Mauritanie mène des opérations conjointes entre la police nationale espagnole et l’Office central de répression du trafic illicite de migrants et de la traite des êtres humains (OCRTIMTEH). En outre, une série de cours de formation, qui constituent l’épine dorsale du projet, sont organisés dans le but de renforcer les capacités des professionnels mauritaniens dans la lutte contre les réseaux de passeurs et de trafiquants. Le projet est pratiquement au méridien de sa mise en œuvre, et pendant cette période, de grandes réalisations ont déjà été faites :   

Au niveau opérationnel, 19 opérations ont été menées contre la migration irrégulière. Dix-sept réseaux de passeurs et de trafiquants ont été démantelés au niveau national, et 162 membres de réseaux criminels ont fait l’objet d’enquêtes et ont été arrêtés. Le bureau du procureur a été saisi de 24 affaires de trafic de migrants, dans lesquelles 91 personnes ont fait l’objet d’une enquête. 1254 migrants irréguliers ont été arrêtés en Mauritanie et plus de 500 victimes de trafic et de traite ont été libérées.   

En termes de formation et de réunions, 3 réunions de formation ont été organisées sur la coordination de la gestion des migrations et 153 tutoriels pour les agents de l’OCRTIMTEH. Il y a eu 2 réunions pour renforcer la coordination du Centre d’Assistance Temporaire pour les Etrangers (CATE) avec les acteurs étatiques et non-étatiques, et 2 réunions de coordination avec d’autres projets européens au niveau international qui sont menés en Gambie et en Afrique de l’Ouest et du Centre. 

Today we talk to Pedro Cartagena, industrial property expert at the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (SPTO) and coordinator of the European cooperation project in Egypt that has been working for two years to improve the Egyptian patent system. 

Why is it important to have a patented product?  

In a company, whether small or large, it is important to have a patented innovation, because most of the time this patent constitutes the success of your business. Keep in mind that a patent not only gives you a monopoly on the exploitation of what you protect, but also prevents your competitors from commercialising the innovation you have patented. In addition, a patent generally gives prestige to your company and, when necessary, can also become a means of financing. Patents can be sold, or you can allow another company to use them in whole or in part in exchange for an agreed remuneration. 

How many innovations are patented each year in Egypt?  

About 2,000 patents are applied for in Egypt every year, which is a rather low number considering the population of about 100 million. However, more than the population, what usually influences patent applications is the degree of development of the country and its spending on R&D, as this is what generates innovations, and these innovations could be patented. In the case of Egypt, we are talking about a developing country with a per capita income considered to be medium-low, so it is quite logical that it has this number of applications. 

Is it more difficult for SMEs and researchers to patent their innovations? 

SMEs and researchers are two completely different sectors, but they have in common that they patent very little. This is mainly because they are largely unaware of both the patent system and the advantages of patenting.  

In the case of researchers, they still give priority to publishing the results of their research before applying for a patent, when the two things are completely compatible, if they are done in a synchronised way. In other words, first you apply for a patent and then you can publish the results of your research. 

In the case of SMEs, sometimes they don’t even know that they have something they can patent, and they think that it is an expensive and complicated procedure and that it is only for big companies. In the European project we have done with the Egyptian office, we have worked to strengthen the office’s relations with the research community in universities and research centres in Egypt. In addition, we have also established a strategy to bring patents closer to small and medium-sized enterprises and a whole series of informative materials have been developed to inform them of the advantages of patents for their business. 

How can the public benefit from an innovation being patented? 

The public will generally benefit from any innovation that is commercialised and, on the market, whether it is patented or not. What is important for society is that what the patent system does is to encourage innovation, and by encouraging innovation, new products or processes will be produced that will be innovative and will contribute to the greater well-being of society. 

What has been achieved with this project in Egypt and what challenges remain to be addressed? 

During these more than two years of the project, beneficial results have been achieved for the Egyptian office in terms of greater outreach to researchers and SMEs, as I mentioned earlier. But in addition to this, more than 50 patent examiners have been trained so that they in turn can train future examiners who join the office and can also participate in giving talks to SMEs and researchers about the patent system and its advantages, which in some way will also contribute to increasing patent applications.  

In addition, different work manuals have also been drawn up for some of the departments and units of the office. But perhaps the most important thing, as I also mentioned before, is the achievement of the ISO 9001 2015 certification for quality management systems for companies and institutions. This makes the Egyptian office one of the most relevant offices in the African region.  

As for the challenges facing the Egyptian patent office, it is like most patent offices in the rest of the world, which is basically to ensure that small and medium-sized companies integrate a patent culture into their business strategies, that they patent more, and that these patents are also of high quality. 

What do you bring back to Spain both professionally and personally? 

As a professional, during this time I have learned a different way of working and of approaching things and problems, since living in Spain we don’t realise that in general, in the European Union, everything is standardised and if you move from one country to another there are no major differences in terms of developing your professional activity.  

However, when you arrive in Egypt, although it is a country that in your normal life is not excessively different from what you are used to, because it is a Mediterranean country, on a professional level you do notice a lot of differences.  

On a personal level, I have brought back an incredible experience, and, above all, I have realised how privileged we are to have practically everything and sometimes even more than we need, not only to develop our professional activity, but also for our personal life. 

Joaquin Plasencia Garcia, Chief Inspector of the National Police and director of the project “Support to Community Policing in Lebanon” together with Valentina Salvato, project technician, give us an overview of the work done and some of the objectives achieved by the National Police during the first two years of implementation of the project to strengthen community policing in Lebanon.

A CHALLENGE FOR LEBANON: People’s trust in the security forces

Lebanon remains a fragile country politically and economically. The explosion in the port of Beirut disrupted the country’s economic activity. Moreover, this tragedy came at a terrible time when Lebanon is struggling with a deep economic and social crisis that was aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Frustration with the government and the political elite had been building up for years, and the country’s long-term economic problems increasingly clash with the daily lives of its population. Public anger has grown in recent years and, since October 2019, protesters have taken to the streets across the country, accusing the leaders of Lebanon’s sectarian-based political system of widespread corruption that has left the country with poor infrastructure, few services and a sinking economy.

Despite the progressive professionalisation of the Internal Security Forces (FSI), the organisation still suffers from organisational weaknesses. Hence, recent events during the demonstrations have seriously undermined public confidence in the security sector, and the need to reinforce and strengthen community policing.

Community Policing

When we talk about community policing we refer to a reciprocal and participative relationship between the police and the population. The idea is to maintain contact and dialogue between the police and the citizens in order to find out what the priority problems are for the community, encouraging the population to participate proactively in their security, and being able to promote the solution of these problems. Proximity policing is to ensure that the population sees the police as an ally in case of need, bringing citizens closer to the police.

The project

With funding from the European Union, the FIIAPP is working with the Spanish National Police and the collaboration of CIVIPOL on the project “Supporting Community Policing in Lebanon”, with the aim of improving the service provided to citizens and in that sense facilitating the transition from a force-based policing approach to a citizen-oriented policing service.

In two years of work, specialists from the National Police have exchanged experiences with their Lebanese counterparts on issues such as crowd control, first response in emergency situations, gender-based violence and stress management for police personnel, among others.

So far, more than 900 police officers, including 52 female police officers, from the Lebanese Internal Security Forces (ISF), the equivalent of the National Police, have been trained. Instructors from the ISF academy have been involved in order to achieve maximum sustainability of the project and to be able to continue and reiterate the training to the rest of their personnel.

Training

Various activities are being carried out in the project, many of them by specialists from the Judicial Police, the Forensic Police and the Police Intervention Unit. Likewise, in order to serve and protect the population and at the same time take care of the Lebanese police itself, priority is given to both internal and external communication, so training in assertive communication techniques has been carried out following the model of the National Police.

Victim identification in major disasters

On 4 August 2020, an explosion took place in the port of Beirut, causing widespread destruction of homes, businesses and infrastructure. In addition, this explosion left more than 200 people dead, more than 7000 injured and some bodies missing. This disaster revealed the weaknesses of ISF personnel in identifying victims in major disasters.

But it also made it possible, as part of the project to support community policing in Lebanon, to organise an activity in which members of the General Commissariat of the Scientific Police of the National Police trained members of the Scientific Police of the ISF for ten days, with the aim of providing a professional response to the families of the victims at the time of identification and avoiding some of the mistakes that have been made in traumatic events such as the explosion in the port of Beirut, although it is normal in such situations and pressures that mistakes are made, hence the importance of continuing training for any situation that may arise.

First response in emergency situations

In recent years there have been a large number of terrorist or “lone wolf” attacks in Europe. The first responders to these attacks are elite special teams such as SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics Team). However, the reality is that the first responders in such situations are the patrols, who were not trained in how to handle such scenarios. These patrols were formed to be able to mitigate, minimise and neutralise while awaiting the arrival of the special forces that intervene in these cases.

In Lebanon, it was decided to implement this same approach based on lessons learned from Europe, due to the high number of weapons circulating among the population and public disorder events such as bank robberies or shootings that require responses from emergency and imminent danger units.

For this reason, within the framework of the European project, specialists from the National Police’s Prevention and Reaction Units have carried out six training activities for the benefit of the Lebanese ISF emergency units. More than 100 Lebanese police officers from the municipalities of Beirut, Dekwaneh, Saida and Tripoli, involved in direct response to 112 calls, have been trained. The main objective of this first response is to “save lives” and minimise the risk and danger to citizens in case of imminent danger. In addition, personnel from both the Internal Security Forces (ISF) and the municipal police are being trained in first aid techniques and equipped with the necessary equipment, so that they can react to any type of damage or injury.

Domestic violence

Domestic violence is an endemic problem in Lebanon. In 2020, the number of cases of gender-based violence increased from 747 to 1,468 according to statistics collected by the FSI.

Dos expertas de la Policía Nacional han realizado una evaluación con diferentes unidades policiales de las FSI, organizaciones de la sociedad civil y del sector de la justicia y se han formulado unas recomendaciones para la creación de una Unidad de Violencia de Género.

Two experts from the National Police have conducted an assessment with different police units of the FSI, civil society organisations and the justice sector and recommendations for the creation of a Gender-Based Violence Unit have been formulated.

In order to promote the creation of this specialised unit, a training plan has been established and carried out, consisting of four courses lasting ten days each, which have been carried out by specialists from the General Commissariat of the Judicial Police and the Family and Women’s Attention Units (UFAM). 117 members of the FSI belonging to the Judicial Police, Control Room, Human Rights Division and Investigation Department have been able to benefit from this specialised training. These units lead investigations into this type of crime and provide direct assistance to victims of domestic violence, minors and vulnerable groups.

After participating in the training on domestic violence carried out by the Judicial Police and the UFAM, police officer Taghrid Fayad states “We, as female police officers, consider that any woman who suffers domestic violence can be a sister or a mother. These training sessions are very beneficial and help to strengthen our skills to reduce domestic violence cases“.

For his part, Colonel Elie Al Asmar says “we have found that we can refer to good practices and long experience in the fight against domestic violence in Spain and we try to learn from them and make these good practices work in our police stations”.

Tras mirar hacia atrás y realizar un análisis para proyectarnos en los próximos dos años del proyecto hasta su finalización, seguiremos trabajando con la participación de la Policía Nacional en actividades previstas para el 2023. Una de las próximas actividades que tendrá lugar entre el 28 de enero y el 10 de febrero será sobre cómo gestionar las denuncias por parte de los ciudadanos hacia miembros de la Policía. Especialistas de la Unidad de Régimen Disciplinario de la Policía Nacional proporcionarán una formación específica a los miembros de las unidades de régimen interior de las FSI sobre cómo gestionar las quejas de la población libanesa.

After looking back and conducting an analysis to project the next two years of the project until its completion, we will continue to work with the participation of the National Police in activities planned for 2023. One of the next activities that will take place between 28 January and 10 February will be on how to handle complaints from citizens to members of the police. Specialists from the Disciplinary Regime Unit of the National Police will provide specific training to members of the FSI’s internal regime units on how to handle complaints from the Lebanese population.

The project to strengthen free legal aid in Turkey, managed by FIIAPP, started on 16th June 2016. After barely a month, there was an attempted coup d’état, which we refer to colloquially as the “15th of July”. Whenever we make any official mention of the failed coup d’état, we are talking about: before 15 July or after 15 July, but without using the words “coup d’état”.

The situation in Turkey after that date is complicated. There have been mass arrests and suspensions, which have affected all areas of society, including judges, prosecutors, lawyers… However, the progress of the project has not been directly affected. As a result, we continue working, and many Spanish experts are still coming to Ankara to work on the objectives we set over a year ago. Five of these experts were in Ankara the night of 15th July and, even so, they have come back on several occasions. In my opinion, they are inspired by the enthusiasm of the sense that they are contributing to improving justice administration in a country like Turkey, where the refugee crisis has accentuated the need for strengthening the system for accessing justice. Without the work of the experts, this project could not be carried out, nor would it be possible without the help of the project leader, Amparo Mahiques, and the technical assistant, Esther Utrilla. The ongoing support of the Spanish embassy in Ankara is also noteworthy, especially that of Ambassador Rafael Mendivil.

The free legal aid and access to justice project is complicated:

• On one hand, we have two beneficiaries: the Turkish Bar Association and the Ministry of Justice. Two beneficiaries whose relations, before the project started, were less than fluid when not non-existent. Nevertheless, over these months, we have managed to bring them together each time there is an activity, and they have travelled to three countries together (in these seven months of the project, they have completed 12 activities and made three study visits, to Lithuania, Spain and France).

• On the other hand, although Spain is leading the project, we are working in a consortium with Lithuania and France. This circumstance is often enriching, but other times it is quite complicated to combine the different visions on implementation of the project.

Although the Twinning projects of the countries applying to join the European Union are aimed at facilitating the country’s entrance into the Union, in this project we try not to look too far ahead but to take things one step at a time.

Right now we are working on a rather interesting component that involves raising the visibility of the project and working on ways to make justice more accessible to citizens. Firstly, we establish the groups that, due to their vulnerability, should be targeted for greater attention: refugees, women who are victims of gender-based violence, people living in rural areas, minors, disabled persons…Then we establish the channels through which to show them what their rights are when accessing justice, as well as the possibility of having a lawyer defend them in court.

We are ambitious. In each component, we try to expand the objectives negotiated initially. We aren’t always successful, but if we can at least achieve one or more of those set at the beginning, we consider that a reason for satisfaction. 

In the seven months of the project, we have achieved the following goals, among others:

• There has been a discussion of the convenience (and need) for there to be a single law on free legal aid. You see, today’s regulations on free legal aid are dispersed in various legal texts. Publication of this law will be a great help both to lawyers and to judges and prosecutors.

• We have managed to conduct a satisfaction survey of the users of the free legal aid system. Although this is an apparently simple task, in the end it turned out to be quite complicated. Firstly, due to the reluctance shown by the beneficiaries; secondly, because once these were overcome, it was necessary to reach agreement with the two beneficiaries on how to go about it; and lastly, because the costs of conducting the survey had to be covered by the beneficiary country, as stipulated in the project contract.

• A catalogue was designed so that law graduates could learn about the steps to be followed to access the lists of legal-aid lawyers.

• The possibility of eliminating the taxes legal-aid lawyers pay on the fees they receive was assessed.

• A strategic communication plan was designed which contemplates the existence of a bus that would circulate between the different cities providing information about the right to free legal aid and the channels and requirements for exercising this right.

• Work has begun on building a website where citizens can find out in a simple and accessible manner about the steps to take when they need a lawyer and lack the economic resources to hire one.