Tomorrow (7 February), a two-year programme called “Ethics for the Prevention of Corruption in Turkey” will be launched in Ankara.

Implement ethics regulations and develop coordination

The short-term aims of the project, which has been organised by the Council of Europe's Economic Crimes Division, are:

• To implement Regulations on Ethical Behaviour for Public Employees  with academics, chosen public employees, people working in the judiciary and the military.
• To limit the immunity of parliamentarians in line with EU standards.
• To develop coordination between institutions in order to fight corruption.

In its 2006 Progress Report, the Council of Europe had emphasised that the financial and economic control of political parties needed to be better organised, and that there was a lack of coordination between institutions as far as fighting corruption was concerned.

In Turkey, the project will be run by the Ethical Commission of Public Employees. The Council of Europe has called for the commission’s budget and personnel to be increased.

As part of the project, public employees will be educated about the fight against corruption.

90 percent of the project is financed by the European Commission, and 10 percent by the Council of Europe. (EÜ/TK/AG)