Turkey’s corruption fight just beginning
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hürriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Şubat 19, 2009 00:00
ANKARA - Head of the European Union, or EU, delegation to Turkey Marc Pierini yesterday said, despite its efforts and progress, Turkey still has a considerable way to go to fight corruption and has to equip itself to cooperate at the EU-wide level.
"A transparent public administration, an efficient law enforcement system and an effective judiciary, as well as a strong and independent Council of Ethics are very important indicators of progress toward full application of the Rule of Law and ultimately of reinforcing democratic principles," Pierini said during the conference on legislative and judicial ethics, which was held within the framework of a Council of Europe project in Ankara.
A three-day program called "Developments in Legislative and Judiciary Ethics" brought foreign experts and Turkish deputies together. Pierini defined the nature of the project, which cost 1.3 million euros, as a way to "share expertise" with Turkish counterparts.
Pointing the establishment of the Council of Ethics in 2004, the adoption of a Code of Ethics in 2005 and work on an anti-corruption strategy, Pierini drew attention to Turkey’s determination in the subject. "This is good news for Turkish citizens and for the EU accession process," he said.
Pierini said corruption not only exists in Turkey but also in the EU countries. "This is why the EU has developed a large body of policies and instruments for the fight against corruption," he said, assuring the European Commission’s support for Turkey in its fight against corruption.
A three-day program called "Developments in Legislative and Judiciary Ethics" brought foreign experts and Turkish deputies together. Pierini defined the nature of the project, which cost 1.3 million euros, as a way to "share expertise" with Turkish counterparts.
Pointing the establishment of the Council of Ethics in 2004, the adoption of a Code of Ethics in 2005 and work on an anti-corruption strategy, Pierini drew attention to Turkey’s determination in the subject. "This is good news for Turkish citizens and for the EU accession process," he said.
Pierini said corruption not only exists in Turkey but also in the EU countries. "This is why the EU has developed a large body of policies and instruments for the fight against corruption," he said, assuring the European Commission’s support for Turkey in its fight against corruption.