On 4 July 2022, a workshop was organised within the scope of the EU/Council of Europe Joint Project “Improving International Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters in Turkey” in Ankara, bringing together the representatives of the Turkish Ministry of Justice, judges, prosecutors, lawyers, and the project’s national and international consultants to discuss the legislative framework for international judicial cooperation, including the proposed reforms.

Opening remarks were delivered by Mr Cristian Urse, Head of the Council of Europe Programme Office in Ankara and Mr Kasım Çiçek, Director General for Foreign Relations and EU Affairs, Ministry of Justice, followed by a general presentation of the project’s main objectives and expected results.

The workshop continued with an overview of the legislative framework on international judicial cooperation in Türkiye. Technical papers prepared by Council of Europe consultants analysing the legal framework for the mutual legal assistance and extradition and providing proposals for consideration of the national authorities were presented and steered the discussions during the workshop. These papers were also previously discussed with representatives of the Ministry of Justice during technical roundtable meetings.

Discussions focused on ways to further strengthen the compliance of the legal framework and its practical implementation in line with the international standards. A second workshop is planned to be held in the upcoming period.

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.