The project on “Improving International Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters in Türkiye” aims to strengthen the capacities of Turkish authorities to establish effective and expedited international cooperation in criminal matters, thereby contributing to proper administration of justice in cases involving foreign elements. It is co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe for a period of 36 months, starting from 10 December 2020. The Ministry of Justice, Directorate General for Foreign Relations and European Union Affairs (DGFREU) is the lead and end beneficiary institution in Türkiye.
Through the project activities and actions, some of the key institutional, legislative and capacity building needs of Türkiye's mutual legal assistance system will be tackled, as identified in strategic and policy documents. For this purpose, the project will carry out a comprehensive set of activities, including legislative and regulatory reviews, assessments, development of software solution and capacity building and training.

The overall objective is to enhance the system and capacities of Turkish authorities to accelerate judicial proceedings and conduct effective international judicial cooperation in criminal matters. This objective is expected to be achieved through the following outcomes:

1. Ensuring that the legislative and institutional framework for international judicial cooperation in criminal matters in Türkiye provides for effective international cooperation;
2. Enabling the Turkish judicial authorities to effectively cooperate with other jurisdictions in criminal matters relying on international standards and agreements and utilising networks for exchange of information.