The project on "Ethics for the Prevention of Corruption in Turkey" (TYEC) term is 24 months (1 December 2007-30 November 2009). The project is funded by the European Union (90%) and by the Council of Europe (10%). It is implemented by the Council of Europe’s Directorate of Co-operation (Economic Crime Division). The project’s main counterpart institution is the Council of Ethics for Public Service at the Prime Ministry of Turkey.

In recent years, the Turkish Government has taken a number of important steps in combating corruption. The country ratified the Council of Europe’s Civil and Criminal Law Conventions against Corruption in 2003 and 2004 respectively and joined the Council’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) in January 2004. Moreover, in June 2004 the Council of Ethics for the Public Service was established and in 2005 the Regulation on the Principles of Ethical Behaviour for Public Officials (the Code of Ethics) was adopted.

Despite these steps, corruption remains a serious concern for the people of Turkey. The Turkish authorities acknowledge that corruption is a priority issue requiring comprehensive and serious counter-measures. The project will assist Turkey with their efforts in preventing corruption by supporting the implementation of specific measures, and provide support to other related reforms. 

The TYEC project has four main aims: 

• Support the implementation of the Code of Ethics across the public administration in line with GRECO recommendations;
• Develop codes of ethics for other categories of officials or holders of public office;
• Develop systems of monitoring the effectiveness of prevention and other anti-corruption measures; and 
• Ensure and enhance coordination of anti-corruption measures.