Decision No. 27/2025/QĐ-TTg on criteria for communes, wards, and special administrative-economic zones to meet legal access standards

 

Pursuant to …;

REGULATIONS ON COMMUNES, WARD, AND SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONES MEETING THE STANDARDS FOR ACCESS TO LAW

On the basis of 61/2014/QH13;

On the basis of Law on Local Administration Organization No. 72/2025/QH15;

At the proposal of the Minister of Justice;

The Prime Minister issues this Decision to regulate communes, wards, and special economic zones directly under provinces and centrally governed cities (hereinafter referred to collectively as commune level) meeting the standards for access to law.

Article 1. Scope of Regulation and Applicability

Article 1. This Decision stipulates the objectives, principles, criteria, conditions, authorities, procedures, formalities, responsibilities of agencies, organizations in evaluating and recognizing communes, wards, and special economic zones at the commune level meeting the standards for access to law.

Article 2. This Decision applies to the commune level and agencies, organizations, and individuals related to the evaluation and recognition of the commune level meeting the standards for access to law.

Article 3. Objectives of Evaluating and Recognizing Communes, Wards, and Special Economic Zones Meeting the Standards for Access to Law

Evaluating and recognizing the commune level meeting the standards for access to law aims to assess the results of the tasks performed by local authorities at the commune level in the work of building and implementing laws; promptly evaluate the current situation and take measures to address limitations and shortcomings, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of commune-level administrative activities; raise public awareness about seeking information and complying with laws, contributing to the construction of a culture of law observance.

Article 3. Principles of Implementation

Point 1. Putting people at the center in the evaluation and recognition of the commune level meeting the standards for access to law.

Point 2. Ensuring transparency, democracy, objectivity, fairness, and compliance with legal regulations.

Point 3. The evaluation and recognition of the commune level meeting the standards for access to law are linked to the implementation of tasks for socio-economic development, ensuring national defense and security, mobilizing citizens to implement Party policies and state laws, and building and perfecting a socialist rule-of-law state.

Article 4. Criteria for Access to Law

The criteria for evaluating and recognizing the commune level meeting the standards for access to law include:

Clause 1. Issuance of Regulatory Legal Documents

Point a) Indicator 1: Regulatory legal documents of the People's Council and People's Committee at the commune level are issued within the prescribed time frame and in accordance with legal regulations on issuing regulatory legal documents;

Point b) Indicator 2: Draft regulatory legal documents of the People's Council and People's Committee at the commune level are communicated during the drafting process in accordance with legal regulations on issuing regulatory legal documents;

Point c) Indicator 3: Self-inspection of regulatory legal documents of the People's Council and People's Committee at the commune level is conducted in accordance with legal regulations on issuing regulatory legal documents.

Clause 2. Access to Information, Popularization, and Legal Education

Point a) Indicator 1: Establishing and updating, posting (or displaying) the List of information that must be disclosed and the List of information that citizens can access subject to conditions in accordance with legal regulations on access to information;

Point b) Indicator 2: Publicizing regulatory legal documents of the People's Council and People's Committee at the commune level after issuance in accordance with legal regulations on access to information;

Point c) Indicator 3: Providing information upon request in accordance with legal regulations on access to information;

Point d) Indicator 4: Issuing and organizing the implementation of annual plans for popularizing and educating the law in accordance with legal regulations on popularizing and educating the law;

Point đ) Indicator 5: Ensuring digital transformation and application of digital technology in the work of popularizing and educating the law;

Point e) Indicator 6: Ensuring human resources, financial resources, infrastructure, and equipment for the implementation of the work of popularizing and educating the law in accordance with legal regulations on popularizing and educating the law;

Point g) Indicator 7: Information and introduction of legal aid services in accordance with legal regulations on legal aid.

Clause 3. Mediation at the Grassroots Level

Point a) Indicator 1: Establishing and improving mediation teams and recognizing the heads of mediation teams and mediators in accordance with legal regulations on mediation at the grassroots level;

Point b) Indicator 2: Conflicts, disputes, and violations of law within the scope of grassroots mediation are resolved promptly and effectively in accordance with legal regulations on mediation at the grassroots level;

Point c) Indicator 3: Effective cooperation and support from individuals and organizations in the area in implementing grassroots mediation work;

Point d) Indicator 4: Ensuring human resources, financial resources, infrastructure, and equipment for the implementation of grassroots mediation work in accordance with legal regulations on mediation at the grassroots level.

Article 5. Conditions and Authority for Recognizing Communes, Towns, and Special Administrative Zones as Meeting Legal Access Standards

1. A commune shall be recognized as meeting legal access standards when it satisfies all criteria and indicators stipulated in Article 4 of this Decision.

2. The Chairman of the People's Committee of the province or centrally governed city (hereinafter referred to collectively as provincial level) shall decide on recognizing communes as meeting legal access standards.

Article 6. Procedures and Formalities for Evaluating, Recognizing, and Publicizing Communes as Meeting Legal Access Standards

1. The evaluation, recognition of communes as meeting legal access standards shall be conducted annually.

2. The People's Committee at the commune level shall convene meetings to assess the results of implementation and the degree of achievement of each criterion and indicator of legal access; publicly post or publish the self-assessment results for at least ten days to solicit opinions from agencies, organizations, and individuals within its jurisdiction; submit the application dossier for recognizing communes as meeting legal access standards to the Department of Justice before November 25 of the assessment year.

3. Within ten days from receiving complete and valid dossiers, the Department of Justice shall organize appropriate reviews, prepare reports on the review results of the dossiers and the degree of achievement of legal access standards for each commune-level unit; present these to the Chairman of the People's Committee at the provincial level for consideration and decision on recognizing communes as meeting legal access standards.

4. The application dossier for recognizing communes as meeting legal access standards includes:

a) A request for recognition of communes as meeting legal access standards;

b) A self-assessment report on the degree of achievement of legal access criteria and indicators;

c) A summary, adoption, and explanation of comments from agencies, organizations, and individuals regarding the self-assessment results on the degree of achievement of legal access criteria and indicators (if applicable);

d) Minutes of the meeting proposing the examination and recognition of communes as meeting legal access standards;

đ) Documents proving the degree of achievement of legal access criteria and indicators.

5. Publicizing Communes as Meeting Legal Access Standards

a) Within five working days from the date of the Decision recognizing communes as meeting legal access standards, the People's Committee at the provincial level shall publish the recognition results on the provincial People's Committee’s electronic information portal;

b) Within five working days from receiving the Decision recognizing communes as meeting legal access standards, the People's Committee at the commune level shall post the recognition Decision at the People's Committee office, cultural house, and community activity points in villages and wards for at least thirty consecutive days; announce on the communal radio system (if available) for at least three consecutive days and publish on the communal electronic information portal (if available).

Article 7. Responsibilities of Agencies and Organizations

1. Ministry of Justice

a) Issuing regulations on the content and degree of achievement of legal access criteria and indicators stipulated in Article 4 of this Decision; sample dossiers and other related documents serving the evaluation and recognition of communes as meeting legal access standards; statistical forms and tables on communes meeting legal access standards;

b) Leading, guiding, supervising, inspecting, resolving difficulties and obstacles within its authority in implementing this Decision; reporting to the Prime Minister on the periodic report on judicial work results;

c) Developing training materials and guidance on business practices; implementing solutions to apply information technology in evaluating and recognizing communes as meeting legal access standards nationwide;

d) Summarizing, concluding, publicizing, and rewarding organizations and individuals with outstanding achievements in evaluating and recognizing communes as meeting legal access standards.

2. Ministries, agencies equivalent to ministries, and government agencies shall cooperate with the Ministry of Justice to implement this Decision within their functions and responsibilities.

3. Proposing the Standing Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee to coordinate and supervise the implementation of this Decision. Member organizations of the Vietnam Fatherland Front within their functions and responsibilities shall participate in supervising the evaluation and recognition of communes as meeting legal access standards; coordinating to organize the evaluation of citizens' satisfaction with the effectiveness of communes meeting legal access standards.

4. Provincial People's Committees

a) Guiding the time for collecting data, organizing evaluations and recognitions, the form of reviewing application dossiers for recognizing communes as meeting legal access standards, and documents proving the degree of achievement of legal access criteria and indicators stipulated in Article 4 of this Decision;

b) Directing the development and issuance of internal procedures and electronic procedures to implement the formalities for evaluating and recognizing communes as meeting legal access standards;

c) Directing, guiding, and organizing the implementation of this Decision at local levels; ensuring funding for the implementation of solutions to apply information technology in evaluating and recognizing communes as meeting legal access standards;

d) Based on the implementation situation and evaluation results of communes meeting legal access standards, selecting localities to organize the evaluation of citizens' satisfaction with the effectiveness of communes meeting legal access standards and directing measures to address existing issues, limitations, and resolve difficulties and obstacles in implementing legal access criteria;

đ) Summarizing, concluding, publicizing, and rewarding agencies, organizations, and individuals with outstanding achievements in evaluating and recognizing communes as meeting legal access standards at local levels;

e) Annually, compiling and reporting to the Ministry of Justice on the results of evaluating and recognizing communes as meeting legal access standards in the periodic report on judicial work results.

5. The Chairman of the People's Committee at the provincial level is responsible for implementing this Decision at local levels; organizing inspections, resolving petitions, complaints, and handling violations in the evaluation and recognition of communes as meeting legal access standards within their jurisdictions.

Article 8. Implementation funds

1. The implementation funds for this Decision shall be allocated within the annual regular state budget estimates of relevant agencies, organizations, and localities in accordance with the laws on the state budget.

2. It is encouraged for agencies, organizations, enterprises, and individuals to utilize legitimate funding sources to support activities related to the implementation of legal access criteria.

Article 9. Effective Date

1. This Decision takes effect from January 1, 2026.

2. The Prime Minister's Decision No. 25/2021/QĐ-TTg dated July 22, 2021, regarding communes, wards, and towns meeting the legal access standards shall cease to be effective from the date this Decision takes effect.

3. The Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, Heads of government agencies, Chairpersons of People's Committees at all levels, and related agencies, organizations, and individuals are responsible for implementing this Decision.