Artikel 18: Legal assistance

Artikel 18
  1. Everyone may be legally represented at legal or administrative proceedings.
  2. Rules concerning the granting of legal aid to persons of limited means shall be laid down by Act of Parliament.

In andere talen:

English

  1. Everyone may be legally represented at legal or administrative proceedings.
  2. Rules concerning the granting of legal aid to persons of limited means shall be laid down by Act of Parliament.

Français

  1. Toute personne peut se faire assister en justice et dans les recours administratifs.
  2. La loi fixe des règles sur loctroi daide juridictionnelle aux économiquement faibles.

Deutsch

  1. Jeder kann sich in Rechts- und Verwaltungssachen beistehen lassen.
  2. Für die Beiordnung eines Rechtsbeistands an Unbemittelte gelten gesetzliche Vorschriften .

Español

  1. Todos pueden hacerse asistir en juicio y en los recursos administrativos.
  2. La ley regulará la prestación de asistencia jurídica a quienes carecen de medios económicos sufi cientes.

Explanation

Please note: Only the Dutch-language version of the Constitution has legal effect. 

Article 18 concerns legal assistance. Everyone may be assisted by someone else, such as a lawyer, in court proceedings or in a dispute with the authorities.

The second paragraph ensures that a person is not denied such assistance because they lack financial means. This provision has the character of a social right. More provisions of this kind follow this article.

The relevant legislation referred to in the second paragraph is the Legal Aid Act.