Mr. Yaşar Şimşek, member of the Council of Judges and Prosecutors, Mrs. Burcu Sinoplu, Rapporteur Judge of the Council, and Mrs. Çağlayan Sayhan Soydan, the interpreter, participated in the 20th General Assembly of the Consultative Council of European Judges (CCJE), arranged in Strasbourg on 6-8 November 2019.

The draft of the Opinion No. 22 on “The Role of Judicial Assistants” prepared in accordance with the comments, recommendations and evaluations of the representatives from the member states was elaborated and accepted by the General Assembly. In addition, the draft of the CCJE Bureau Report on the independence of the judiciary, prepared every two years, was communicated to the parties, and the member states were given reasonable time to submit their written responses. Mrs. Nina Betetto from Slovenia, who was the Vice President,  was elected as the president of the CCJE, and Mr. Lord Justice Kim Lewison from United Kingdom was elected as the Vice President. Also, Mr. Duro Sessa from Croatia was elected as the member of the Bureau.

Within the context of the meeting, the 20th anniversary of the CCJE was also celebrated, and the opening speech was given by Mr. Duro Sessa. After the opening speech, Mr. Linos-Alexandre Sicilianos, the President of the European Court of Human Rights, delivered a speech on the independence of the judiciary, and explained the contribution given by the CCJE to the work of the European Court of Human Rights. Our delegation attended the reception held within the context of the 20th anniversary of the CCJE as well, and exchanged opinions with the representatives of the other member states.

Besides, our delegation met at lunch on 7 November 2019, with Ambassador Mr. Kaan Esener, the Permanent Representative of Türkiye before the Council of Europe, and with his congrigation.

In addition, Mr. Güray Güçlü, Mr. Yakup Yıldırım, and Mr. A. Metin Gökler, the Legal Counsellors in Strasbourg, were also contacted.