Seminar Held On European Court Of Justice And Its Relations With National Laws

ANKARA - Ministry of Justice Deputy Undersecretary Bulent Gokgoz said on Wednesday, ''the European Union (EU) has been constituting one of the most important reference points in Turkey's mobilization movement for 45 years.''
The seminar organized in cooperation among the Ministry of Justice, the EU Directorate General, the Danish Embassy and the British Embassy on ''European Court of Justice and its Relations with National Laws'' started.
Justice Minister Cemil Cicek could not attend the seminar due to debates on the sixth EU adjustment package.
Making opening remark of the seminar, Gokgoz said, ''the EU is the most advanced model of regional integration movements. The EU has been constituting one of the most important reference points in Turkey's mobilization movement for 45 years.''
''Turkey was asked to organize training programs to inform judges and prosecutors on implementation of legal changes, which were envisaged in the Accession Partnership Accord. We have trained 900 judges and prosecutors so far,'' he said.
Gokgoz said, ''when Turkey becomes a full member of the EU, conflicts pertaining to implementation of around 100 thousand page regulation of the EU, will not only be solved by European Court of Justice, but at the same time will be solved by Turkish judges in front of Turkish courts as a member country. Within this scope, Turkish courts and European Court of Justice will have intense cooperation in case of Turkey's full membership.''
Gokgoz said this intense cooperation would be seen particularly in preliminary decision method or case.
Gokgoz said they hoped that Turkey would fulfill democratic, economic, legal and social transformations with EU membership, and is expected to enter a stronger, more influential and respective period in the world and in its region.
Danish Ambassador in Ankara Christian Hoppe said a country should abide by Copenhagen criteria in order to participate in the EU, and stressed the importance of candidate countries' abiding by political and economic criteria.
Hoppe said they were impressed by the efforts exerted by Turkey to abide by political criteria. He said the determination exhibited by the Turkish government and people was very important, stating that the Turkish government took important steps to access the EU.
Hoppe said they were impatient to see legalization of the 6th Adjustment Package, adding that the date which the EU would set for Turkey's membership is not so far away.
British Ambassador in Ankara Peter Westmacott said that this seminar was the first study which was carried out on issues which were very important for Turkey's goals to join EU with an EU member country.
Westmacott said that Britain has supported Turkey's EU membership for a long time and Turkey worked very hard to get a good result and stated that he believed that an EU of which Turkey was a member would bring benefits to Europe, Britain and also to Turkey.
Noting that they believed that when Turkey was working to meet requirements for accession to the union, Turkey's friends in Europe like Britain should extend support to its adjustment process, Westmacott said that Britain extended 2.2 million U.S. dollars of financial aid to projects in Turkey last year.
Westmacott said that Justice Ministry's determination on fulfillment of reforms in difficult conditions impressed them and stated that the sixth adjustment package which was sent to the parliament was the latest sign of it.
Stating that they were looking forward to this package to become law, he said that they would watch implementation of changes in this package.
Westmacott said that reforms should be implemented by judicial authorities across the country and added that a transparent and coordinative attitude should be assumed in implementation of laws.
(UK-AY-EÖ-AÖ) 18.06.2003