A delegation of fifteen representatives of the Turkish Ministry of Justice and Public Prosecution Office, headed by the Deputy Minister of Justice, Mr Yakup Moğul, took part in a study visit on international judicial cooperation to Vienna, Austria from 25 to 27 April 2023.

The visit took place within the EU/Council of Europe Joint Project “Improving International Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters in Türkiye”. The study visit aimed at exchanging on the Austrian system for international judicial cooperation in criminal matters and enhancing the cooperation among peers through the exchange of experiences.

The study visit programme began at the Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office followed by a visit to the Federal Ministry of Justice. Representatives of the Turkish Ministry of Justice and prosecutors discussed the role of the Central Authority in relation to Mutual Legal Assistance and Extradition, as well as fundamental legal bases of judicial cooperation in Austria. Discussions also covered the question of human resources management and training, as well as the Austrian file management system. 

The programme continued with a visit to the Criminal Intelligence Service of Austria (CIS) where the participants met the Single Point of Contact (SPOC) and discussed the international police co-operation at the CIS with a special focus on the exchange via the Interpol channel. Throughout the visit, the Turkish participants had opportunities to exchange with their counterparts on good practices and challenges in relation to Mutual Legal Assistance and extradition. The visit directly contributed to the judicial cooperation between Austria and Türkiye.

The project ‘Improving International Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters in Türkiye’ is co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe.