A hybrid meeting was held on 1-2 July 2021 gathering 30 participants in person from Ankara and eight representatives from the pilot courts in Istanbul, Izmir and Gaziantep through an online platform. The meeting aimed at reviewing the guidance materials prepared by the pilot courts within the scope of the activity on increased efficiency in the selected Regional Administrative Courts (RACs) and first instance courts (A.4.2).
The six pilot courts had produced sample of case petition templates, guidance materials for court users applying for legal remedies in tax and administrative courts, and procedural guidance materials on the workflow of the registries and job descriptions for court staff to introduce greater standardisation of the workflow in administrative court registries and front offices.
The aim of the review was to revise and adapt the sample of case petition templates and the guidance materials in accordance with the recommendations provided by the Inspection Board of the Council of Judges and Prosecutors and the RACs. With a view to further discussing the recommendations, adaptation and consolidation of the materials, three working groups, including judges and court staff from the pilot courts, and academics (Prof Bahtiyar Akyılmaz, Prof Murat Sezginer and Dr Uğur Cem Türker), worked on the necessary changes, adoption of a standard approach covering both administrative and tax courts for court users and review and adaptation of the procedural guidance materials for court staff in line with the other sample materials.
The meeting provided a platform for exchange of opinions and adjustments of the guidance materials based on the feedback received. Further work will continue to finalise the materials in the upcoming months.
The Joint Project on “Improving the Effectiveness of the Administrative Judiciary and Strengthening the Institutional Capacity of the Council of State” is co-funded by the European Union, the Council of Europe and the Republic of Turkey, and implemented by the Council of Europe. The Turkish Ministry of Justice - Directorate General for Legal Affairs is the end beneficiary of the Project. The Central Finance and Contracts Unit is the contracting authority of this Project.
