However, the additional increase of 351,454 HRK (46,860 EUR) occurred in mid-December 2017, leaving NGOs to spend funds in a very short period of time. According to the latest CEPEJ (The European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice) evaluation report11, Croatia is among the Council of Europe member states with the lowest annual public budget allocations for legal aid. The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI)12 and the Croatian Ombudsperson13 have expressed concerns in this context. On 15 September 2017, UNHCR met with the Assistant Minister from the Ministry of Justice to address the challenges and shortcomings in the current implementation of free legal aid. UNHCR suggested to the Ministry to increase the funding, allow timely allocations and introduce a multi-year funding for the NGOs. The Ministry informed UNHCR that they have proposed that the state funds for this activity in 2018 are increased to 1.5 million HRK or approx. EUR 200,000, the amount similar to 2015 funding. Consequently, the funds for 2018 have been increased to 1,300,000 HRK (173,300 Euros), which is a positive development in comparison to previous years. However, the further increase of funds and efforts to ensure timely allocations are required to achieve effective system of free legal aid. For 2018, the funds will be in the best-case scenario allocated in June. In November 2017, ten NGOs sent an open letter14 to the Minister of Justice calling for a substantiated reform of the system of free legal aid due to its current serious shortcomings. UNHCR welcomes the increase of funds for 2018 and recommends the improvements in the processes of granting free legal aid to beneficiaries by further increasing the funds for primary free legal aid, introducing multi-year programmes for NGOs and timely allocations of funds. g) Representation of minorities In August 2017, the Government of Croatia adopted Operational Plans for National Minorities for the period 2017-202015, concerning Serb, Italian, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Albanian and Roma national minorities. The first Operational Plan concerns protection and improvement of the current level of rights of national minorities and comprises of nine goals and 36 specific “European judicial systems Efficiency and quality of justice CEPEJ STUDIES No. 23, edition 2016 (data 2014)”, http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/cooperation/cepej/evaluation/2016/publication/CEPEJ%20Study%2023%20report%2 0EN%20web.pdf, pp.66-79. 12 ECRI Report on Croatia, fourth monitoring cycle, 2012, https://www.coe.int/t/dghl/monitoring/ecri/Countryby-country/Croatia/HRV-CbC-IV-2012-045-ENG.pdf 13 Public Ombudsman Report for 2016, http://ombudsman.hr/hr/component/jdownloads/send/76-izvjesca2016/854-izvjesce-pucke-pravobraniteljice-za-2016, pp. 15-17. 11 14 Open Letter of Free Legal Aid Providers to the Minister of Justice, 30 November 2017, available at: http://www.crpsisak.hr/2017/12/04/kriza-sustava-besplatne-pravne-pomoci-u-rh/. 15 Government of Croatia, Operational Plans for National Minorities 2017-2020, August 2017, https://vlada.gov.hr/UserDocsImages//Sjednice/2017/08%20kolovoz/53%20sjednica%20VRH//53%20%204.pdf 12