European Justice Policy Discussed by Austria's Minister of Justice
Photograph by Aydın Ramazanoğlu
Organized by the Faculty of Law and FEASS, a conference on "Recent Developments in European Justice Policy," with Prof. Beatrix Karl, minister of justice of Austria, as the main speaker, was held last week on Thursday, April 18 at Mithat Çoruh Auditorium.
The conference began with opening remarks by Prof. Osman Berat Gürzumar, dean of the Faculty of Law, and continued with a speech by Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert, head of the delegation of the European Union to Turkey.
In his talk, Ambassador Ripert, who has led the delegation since January 2012, focused on Turkey-EU relations and Turkey's accession process. He concluded with this observation: "Enlargement is not only a bureaucratic process. It is about a relationship between people. I think many things depend on you. We need members of civil society to express themselves. We need youth in this country, as we do in all EU countries. We need youth to express their will to join the EU, not only travel to it. I am sure we all have the same dream. The question is, how and when do we decide to show it and make it reality? It is up to you."
The conference then continued with Prof. Karl's talk, entitled "Recent Developments in European Justice Policy."
Prof. Karl first discussed in a general way the orientation of justice policy in the EU and said, "In order to successfully cope with the complex challenges caused by closer international dependence and increased mobility of the population, we need a modern, efficient justice system. To achieve such objectives, the creation of a Europe-wide area of freedom, security and justice has been one of the aims of the EU since 1997." She then continued with an overview of the newest developments in the field of justice and ended her talk by stating, "Justice policy on the European level, including cross-border cooperation, is of the utmost importance for the further integration of the European Union and the interests of its citizens."
Following Prof. Karl's lecture, a question and answer session was held, during which Bilkent students had a chance to ask questions concerning EU justice policy and related topics.