Turkey strengthens its judiciary through training

Through the twinning project Strengthening the Training of Future Judges and Prosecutors in Turkey, the European Union is supporting the initial training of future judges and prosecutors in Turkey through Spanish Cooperation. The objective is to increase efficiency in the education of these professionals by applying European standards to increase the independence, quality, effectiveness and efficiency of the judicial system.

In line with this commitment, a series of seminars has been prepared that will include the participation of more than 15 specialists at a time when the country is immersed in an ambitious selection and vocational training operation for court professionals.

Specifically, the twinning project, which is funded by the European Union and managed by FIIAPP, is responsible for the design of the new system of supervised placements that should ensure the judges’ and prosecutors’ duties are carried out objectively and impartially and to a high technical standard. In the first months of execution, the project completed the theoretical and regulatory framework for the implementation of a new initial training system, based on the experience of the Judicial School of the General Council of the Judiciary and the Spanish Ministry of Justice  Centre for Legal Studies.

The first cases of coronavirus interrupted specialist missions to the partner country at the request of local authorities. However, the execution of the twinning project has continued, strengthening cooperation between the two countries. Thus, despite the difficulties, the communication and collaboration of the FIIAPP team in Ankara has been maintained through digital means. Specialists have and are carrying out intensive advisory work with regard to the Ministry of Justice and other constitutional bodies in relation to the criteria for identifying courts and prosecutors’ offices that should host the practical phase of judicial training.

At the same time, theoretical and practical materials were prepared that will be used to train the coordinators and mentors of the next tranche of newly appointed judges and prosecutors in matters such as a code of ethics and professional conduct, the instrumental skills of the legal professions and the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights.

In the next three months, another 15 professionals will work on preparing the seminars based on European standards and best practices.