The EU is supporting Türkiye in various areas in the fight against organised crime, which requires joint action and a multi-disciplinary approach. Those areas range from drug trafficking to cybercrime, from witness protection to forensics. One of the most important EU actions has been to strengthen Türkiye's capacity against Cybercrime.

The €1.3 million EU-funded project in cooperation with Germany as twinning partner has supported Türkiye in aligning its internet laws to European standards, in particular the Council of Europe's conventions against cybercrime (so-called Budapest Convention) and on the protection of personal data, which Türkiye ratified in May 2014. The Turkish National Police has been equipped with a 24/7 contact point in the cybercrime department to facilitate cooperation and exchange of information on cybercrime and better protect the Turkish public. The project further developed training modules and established a pool of trainers. It also supported the preparation of guidelines for better cooperation between law enforcement and judicial authorities on cybercrime-related matters. One of the major outcomes has been the development of procedures for cooperation between law enforcement authorities and internet service providers. Turkish institutions, such as the Gendarmerie General Command, Ministry of Justice and the Telecommunications Authority, also attended trainings and other activities.

The project should be followed up in the coming years with further investigation related trainings and public awareness raising activities.