Closing Conference of the EU/Council of Europe Joint Project
Ankara, 5 December 2024, 10.00
Dear Deputy Minister Yildirim,
Dear Mr Vilčinskas,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great honour and a pleasure to welcome you to the Closing Conference of the European Union - Council of Europe Joint Project on "Improving International Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters in Turkey". We are delighted that you are here, and I extend my sincere greetings to you all.
The project was launched in October 2021. Since then, we faced significant challenges, including the global pandemic and the devastating earthquakes in Türkiye. Despite these obstacles, the project has yielded quite specific results for the Turkish justice system, which I will outline in a moment.
I would like to extend my gratitude to the Ministry of Justice, and to all our project partners in Türkiye, for their very fruitful cooperation throughout the implementation.
I especially wish to thank the colleagues in the Directorate General for Foreign Relations and European Union Affairs of the Ministry of Justice for their support and ownership of the project’s outcomes.
I would also like to thank the European Union for their indispensable financial support and commitment. This project is another collaborative effort between the Council of Europe and the EU on upholding human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.
Effective international judicial cooperation in criminal matters has never been more critical. Cross-border crimes, such as human trafficking, organised crime, corruption, money laundering, cybercrime, and terrorism, are increasingly threatening the rule of law in Europe and in the world.
Criminal networks are extremely skilled at exploiting gaps between countries' legal systems to evade detection and prosecution. It is essential for countries to collaborate to combat crimes that transcend borders and jurisdictions, despite any differences in their legal systems. International judicial cooperation in criminal matters closes these gaps, allowing countries to prevent criminals from using borders as shields.
Countries are in fact recognising that effective counteraction against these transnational crimes requires cross-border collaboration. International judicial cooperation in criminal matters has become a fundamental pillar of modern law enforcement and judicial systems worldwide.
The Council of Europe has been a pioneer in developing standards that allow effective formal and informal cooperation in criminal matters. More than 40 criminal law instruments have been negotiated. The Council of Europe has also led the way in addressing new challenges in the fields of asset recovery and environmental crime.
Türkiye has demonstrated its strong commitment to effective international cooperation in criminal matters, notably by actively applying the Council of Europe instruments to which it is a State party, and participating in the work of the Council of Europe Committee on the Operation of Conventions on Criminal Matters, the PC-OC Committee.
Türkiye has also undertaken significant steps to ensure results from the cooperation with its partners in criminal matters.
There is a growing consensus about the value of taking active measures to enhance the effectiveness of the international judicial cooperation.
One critical aspect of successful judicial cooperation is ensuring that law enforcement and judicial authorities are well-trained and capable of managing international cases. Developing the national expertise on these issues allows a new generation of legal and enforcement professionals to manage cross-border cases effectively.
Networking and peer exchanges with international partners are also vital. Good communication with international networks, such as those of INTERPOL, EUROJUST and EUROPOL, is invaluable for targeting transnational crime.
The effective application of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing standards depends on formal and informal cooperation among jurisdictions, ensuring that no country can serve as a haven for illicit funds.
We also see that electronic systems for managing MLA requests are increasingly applied, and they help streamline cooperation by reducing delays and enhancing transparency.
The project that we are closing today has supported the Turkish authorities in addressing these kinds of challenges and updating the legal, institutional, and operational frameworks in Türkiye.
I would like to highlight a few major achievements:
The project provided legal reviews of Law No. 6706 and relevant circulars, with recommendations on how to enhance the legal and regulatory frameworks for MLA and extradition. The Ministry of Justice has proposed amendments to the Circular for MLA and the Circular for Extradition. And new Bureaux for international judicial cooperation in criminal matters were established in seven provinces to streamline MLA requests, thereby also reducing the Central Authority’s workload and improving the quality of the requests that are sent to other jurisdictions.
To handle incoming and outgoing MLA requests, the project assisted the Ministry of Justice in establishing a Central Monitoring System. This recently launched system will streamline the MLA request process, thereby improving case tracking, and making international cooperation more efficient and transparent.
A robust framework for international judicial cooperation in criminal matters requires not just policies, but also well-trained personnel who understand the nuances of international cooperation. The project trained 80 trainers from the Ministry of Justice and judicial authorities, who then trained more than 800 judges and prosecutors.
More than 100 lawyers were also trained on their potential involvement in international judicial cooperation in criminal matters in Türkiye. And some 150 judges, prosecutors, and court clerks were trained on the use of the new Central Monitoring System and quality assurance for MLA requests.
With these efforts, Türkiye has a strong foundation of experts who can support sustainable, long-term progress for international judicial cooperation in criminal matters, and help improve international collaboration.
Last but not least, one of the pillars of successful judicial cooperation in criminal matters is fostering relationships with other countries. Detailed guidelines have been developed on cooperation with EU and other international networks.
And through study visits to Austria, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain, Turkish judicial representatives gained first-hand experience of EU judicial cooperation practices. They were able to establish informal networks with their peers, which will be crucial for effective collaboration on future cases.
In conclusion, we are very pleased with the results of this project. With updated legal frameworks, advanced monitoring systems, trained judicial personnel, and robust operational frameworks, Türkiye has taken critical steps to strengthen its capacity to provide effective international cooperation in criminal matters.
These results were achieved thanks to the excellent cooperation, support and engagement of our Turkish partners. We are very grateful for that.
We look forward to following the future developments in this important sector, and to continuing our collaboration in these and other fields.
Thank you.