Administrative law, International protection law and the role of interpreters

Administrative law regulates the relations between authorities and subordinate subjects in administra­tive areas where there is a conflict between public and private interests, with administrative law primarily protecting the public interest. In Slovenian, the procedure followed by an authority when deciding on the rights and obligations of individuals and legal entities in administrative matters is regulated by the General Administrative Procedure Act (Zakon o splošnem upravnem postopku – ZUP). One of its fundamental principles is the right to be heard, which means that an individual has a right to state their position on all legally relevant circumstances of the case before the body issues a decision. The role of an interpreter is essential for the exercise of this right in both administrative and judicial proceedings where the party does not understand the Slovenian language. This is particularly true in the area of international protection, when an alien claims that they are at risk of persecution or serious harm in their country of origin, and their statement is often the only means by which they can prove what happened to them in their country of origin or what they are at risk of upon returning there.