On 12 December 2022, the representatives of the Turkish Ministry of Justice, Union of Turkish Bar Associations, judges, and prosecutors came together at a workshop in Istanbul to discuss the legislative framework for international judicial cooperation with the Council of Europe’s international and national experts.
The workshop provided a forum to various stakeholders to take part in a broad consultation on the analysis of the legislation concerning mutual legal assistance and extradition prepared by the Council of Europe’s experts. This was the second occasion when such a consultation was organised within the EU/Council of Europe Project ‘Improving International Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters in Turkey’. Previously, a consultation was held in a similar format in Ankara on 4 July 2022.
Following the overview of the legislation on international judicial cooperation in Türkiye, the discussions centred on the findings and proposals made by the experts for reinforcing the compliance with international standards and, ultimately, strengthening the effectiveness of its practical application. The input received from the participants of the workshop will feed into the technical papers containing the analysis and the legislative reform proposals.
The project ‘Improving International Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters in Turkey’ is co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe.