Legal status
In the Republic of Belarus, coordination of the activities of state bodies and other organizations in the field of law, including on issues of norm-making activities, law enforcement practice and the dissemination (provision) of legal information is carried out by the President of the Republic of Belarus and the Administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus.
In 2024, in order to increase the effectiveness of norm-making activities and improve work with legal information, the National Center of Legislation and Legal Information (NCLLI) was created on the basis of the National Centre of Legislation and Legal Research and the National Center of Legal Information, which were reorganized by merging.
The main tasks of the NCLLI are to further increase the level of preparing draft legal acts, to improve the state system of legal information, as well as to intensify legal science’s importance in providing for the socio-economic and socio-political development of the republic.
The NCLLI is a state scientific and practical institution ensuring the preparation of draft legal acts, methodic guidance of norm-making activity, carrying out legal expertise of legal acts (their drafts), official publication of legal acts, work with legal information, its dissemination (provision), conducting scientific research in the field of law as well as the training of scientists of higher qualification.
In its activities, the NCLLI is guided by:
- the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus;
- laws, including the Law of the Republic of Belarus of July 17, 2018 No. 130-Z «On Normative Legal Acts»;
- edicts of the President of the Republic of Belarus:
- of March 14, 2024 No. 96 «On the National Center of Legislation and Legal Information of the Republic of Belarus»;
- of November 17, 2020 No. 415 «On Improving the Efficiency and Quality of Norm-making Activity»;
- of April 12, 2018 No. 135 «On Compulsory Legal Expertise of Technical Normative Legal Acts»;
- of June 15, 2015 No. 243 «On Electronic Document Management in the Preparation and Adoption of Legal Acts»;
- of February 24, 2012 No. 105 «On the Databank of Draft Laws of the Republic of Belarus»;
- of December 30, 2010 No. 712 «On Improving the State System of Legal Information of the Republic of Belarus»;
- of December 16, 2002 No. 609 «On the National Legal Internet Portal of the Republic of Belarus and on Introducing Changes and Additions to the Edict of the President of the Republic of Belarus of October 30, 1998 No. 524»;
- of January 4, 1999 No. 1 «On Approval of the Unified Legal Classifier of the Republic of Belarus»;
- of July 20, 1998 No. 369 «On the National Register of Legal Acts of the Republic of Belarus»;
- other acts of legislation.
The NCLLI is a legal entity subordinate to the President of the Republic of Belarus, has an independent balance sheet, bank accounts, a seal with the image of the State Emblem of the Republic of Belarus and with its name.
The general management of the NCLLI is carried out by the Administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus.
Functions
In accordance with the Regulations on the National Center of Legislation and Legal Information of the Republic of Belarus, the main functions of the NCLLI are:
1. in the field of preparation of draft legal acts and methodic guidance of norm-making activity, carrying out legal expertise of legal acts (their drafts):
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development of plans for the preparation of draft legislative acts, submitting them in accordance with the established procedure for approval by the President of the Republic of Belarus, carrying out control over the implementation of these plans, as well as over the preparation of draft normative legal acts in accordance with the final provisions of the laws;
- direct development of draft laws (concepts of draft laws), with the exception of draft laws (concepts of draft laws), the preparation of which is entrusted to other state bodies (organizations), as well as under the instruction of the President of the Republic of Belarus or the Administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus of draft other legal acts (including using the package principle), the development of treaties of the Republic of Belarus and other international legal acts, the preparation of which is entrusted to the Center;
- preparation of draft legal acts, treaties of the Republic of Belarus and other international legal acts based on concluded agreements;
- methodic support for forecasting the consequences of the adoption (enacting) of normative legal acts, carrying out legal monitoring within the competence;
- carrying out compulsory legal expertise of draft laws submitted to the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, draft laws prepared for consideration by the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus in the first and second readings (in case of completion of draft laws in the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus);
- carrying out compulsory legal expertise of technical normative legal acts that are mandatory for legal entities and individual entrepreneurs in accordance with legislative acts and resolutions of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus;
- carrying out legal expertise of other legal acts (their drafts) under the instruction of the President of the Republic of Belarus or the Administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus;
- organizational and methodological support for the preparation of draft legal acts, as well as the development, generalization and implementation of advanced technologies for the preparation of draft legal acts;
- clarification of the issues of application of legislation regulating norm-making activity, including the requirements of norm-making technique, in accordance with the established procedure;
- carrying out measures to systematize legislation;
- collecting, summarizing proposals on improving legislation, eliminating conflicts and legal uncertainty and sending these proposals to state bodies and other organizations in accordance with their competence;
- carrying out comparative legal studies of the legislation of the Republic of Belarus and foreign states in accordance with approved plans, under the instruction of the President of the Republic of Belarus or the Administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus or on the basis of concluded agreements;
- ensuring carrying out public discussion of draft normative legal acts on the website “Legal Forum of Belarus” in accordance with the established procedure;
- participation in the development and improvement of legal terminology in Russian and Belarusian and its translation into foreign languages;
2. in the field of official publication of legal acts, work with legal information, its dissemination (provision):
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official publication of legal acts on the National Legal Internet Portal of the Republic of Belarus;
- determination of requirements for the registration and procedure for the submission of legal acts and documents sent for inclusion in the National Register of Legal Acts of the Republic of Belarus, standard and other databanks of legal information, state information and legal resources, if such requirements are not established by legislative acts;
- carrying out works on formation, maintenance and ensuring of functioning of the National Legal Internet Portal of the Republic of Belarus and other state information and legal resources formed by the NCLLI and placed on the global computer network Internet;
- development of information technologies, as well as software, in the field of law, including those ensuring the official publication of legal acts, the formation of information and legal resources, conducting public discussions of draft normative legal acts;
- organizational and methodic support for the functioning and development of the state system of legal information of the Republic of Belarus, activities on dissemination (provision) of legal information in the Republic of Belarus;
- collection of legal information in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation, its registration, procession, storage, systematization and updating;
- analysis of the system of legislation and the dynamics of the adoption (enacting) of legal acts;
- maintaining the National Register of Legal Acts of the Republic of Belarus;
- formation and maintenance of a standard databank of legal information of the Republic of Belarus, state information and legal resources, including databanks containing local legal acts and documents adopted (enacted) by the state bodies (officials) and other organizations related to the use and application in practice of such legal acts, on a reimbursable contractual basis for these state bodies and other organizations;
- carrying out works on maintenance and support of the Unified Legal Classifier of the Republic of Belarus, development of terminological and other dictionaries, information retrieval languages on legal topics;
- forming electronic library containing information on international law and the legislation of foreign states, providing state bodies and other state organizations with the access to it;
- ensuring interstate legal information exchange;
- carrying out and ensuring the dissemination (provision) of standard legal information, texts of draft laws, court orders, as well as information of a law enforcement nature;
- participation in the coordination of the activities of state bodies and other state organizations on the issues of collection, registration, processing, storage, systematization, updating and dissemination (provision) of legal information in the Republic of Belarus;
- analysis of legal information disseminated in the Republic of Belarus, including on the basis of information resources provided by organizations and individual entrepreneurs, printed and electronic publications containing legal information, as well as access to information resources containing legal information and placed on the global computer network Internet;
- in cases and in accordance with the procedure determined by the Administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus, maintaining and support of information resources, networks and systems installed in the Administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus, editing draft legal acts and other documents submitted to the President of the Republic of Belarus, as well as their replication;
3. in the sphere of conducting scientific research in the field of law, training of scientists of higher qualification:
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identifying priority areas of scientific and legal research, as well as independent conducting of scientific research and development in the field of law in accordance with the procedure established by legislation;
- conducting analytical and scientific research of the state, trends in the development and practice of applying legislation, development of proposals on areas for its improvement in accordance with approved plans, under the instruction of the President of the Republic of Belarus or the Administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus or on the basis of concluded agreements;
- promoting the development of legal science, making proposals on research topics in the field of law to interested state bodies and organizations;
- development of recommendations on the use of research results and promotion of their practical implementation;
- implementation of the postgraduate educational program (in legal specialties);
- acting as the lead organization for state research programs in accordance with the established procedure;
- coordination of scientific research conducted with other organizations, interaction with scientific organizations and institutions of higher education in the development of scientific research and training of scientists of higher qualification;
- participation in the implementation of interstate scientific programs and projects;
- participation in the preparation of scientific and practical comments on codes and other laws, scientific printed editions, including on the basis of concluded contracts;
4. implementation of other functions provided for by legislative acts, instructions of the President of the Republic of Belarus and the Administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus.
NCLLI has affiliates in all regional centers of the country and the city of Minsk.
Our work is an investment in legal knowledge, raising the legal culture, in ensuring legal awareness of state bodies, organizations and citizens.
The Center has affiliates in all oblasts centers and the City of Minsk. An absolute majority of its employees have higher educations in law, mathematics, technical engineering and philology. The average age of its specialists is 35.
As a result of many years of valuable work and significant contributions to improving the state system of legal information, Yuly Kashinsky, the first Director of the NCLI (from 1997 to 2006), was awarded the medal “For Working Accomplishments” by the Edict of the President of the Republic of Belarus of July 5, 2002 No. 366. The President of the Republic of Belarus has announced his Gratitude to two NCLI’s employees, while ten of them were awarded Diplomas of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus.
An important result of the Center’s activity is the creation of an effective state legal information system, in a short period of time, based on the application of modern information technologies in Belarus. This system is an integrated, multi-component mechanism accumulating legal acts adopted in the country and keeping them updated, thus providing every person in need of such information, with standard legal information. Problems have also been solved related to consolidating streams of legal information into one state structure, at all levels and within all branches of the government. Procedures for the timely presentation of obligatory legal acts to the NCLI have been elaborated and are now in effect, regardless of the level of the body adopting them. Essentially, an evolution in introducing informatization into the legal sphere has occurred, based on combining modern computer technologies and legislation.
Already, only one year after its establishment, the NCLI has organized an effective method of providing legal information to state bodies, substantially broadened the sphere of disseminating legal information in electronic form, established close business contacts with similar organizations in CIS member states and contributed to the significant enlargement of interstate legal information exchange (from the Decision of the Collegiums of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus held in the NCLI on January 26, 1999).
In practice, the NCLI guarantees the realization of the constitutional right of every citizen of the Republic of Belarus to receive complete, valid and timely legal information, contributes to increasing the quality of law-making and law enforcement activity and promotes the legal culture of Belarusian society. Legal information prepared by the Center is widely used.