News Releases
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Günter Verheugen |
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No.
5/04
January 14, 2004
PRESIDENT PRODI TO PRAISE CHANGES IN TURKEY AND CALL FOR CONTINUATION AND IMPLEMENTATION
OF REFORMS
During
the first visit of a Commission President in
Turkey for the past 40 years,
Romano Prodi will repeat the strong wish of the European Union to welcome
Turkey as an equal and respected member. He will praise the changes undertaken
by the Turkish government to meet the EU
accession criteria and will call for the continuation and implementation of
these reforms. Mr. Prodi will also stress the strong preference of the EU for
the accession of a united
Cyprus to the EU on the 1st of May, following a settlement based
on the UN peace plan, and insist on the benefits of such an outcome for Turkey.
The
visit will take place 15 and 16 January in Ankara and Istanbul. Mr Prodi, who
will be accompanied by Commissioner for
Enlargement Günter
Verheugen, will meet the President of the Republic Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the National Assembly Bülen Arinc,
Minister for Foreign Affairs Abdullah Gül and the President of the Peoples Republican
Party, the main opposition party in Turkey, Deniz Baykal. He will address the
Grand National Assembly of Turkey and hold a speech at the Bogaziçi University
in Istanbul.
This
visit takes place at a crucial moment for Turkey. In 9 months time, the Commission
will present a report on the progress made by Turkey towards meeting the political
criteria for EU accession and will make a recommendation to the
European Council who will decide, at its meeting in
December 2004, on the possible opening of accession negotiations with Turkey.
The
last regular report the Commission presented in November 2003 underlined the determined
efforts and significant progress of Turkey towards meeting the political criteria.
The report also stressed that further efforts are needed. This concerns in particular
the strengthening of the independence and the functioning of the judiciary, the
overall framework for the exercise of fundamental freedoms (association, expression
and religion), the further alignment of civil-military relations with European
practice, the situation in the Southeast and cultural rights. Turkey should ensure
full and effective implementation of reforms to ensure that Turkish citizens can
enjoy human rights and fundamental freedoms in line with European standards.
On
Cyprus, the European Council, at its
meeting in Brussels, stated that a settlement of this issue based on the plan
submitted by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan "would greatly facilitate Turkey's
membership aspirations." The Commission considers that the window of opportunity
is still open for a comprehensive settlement before the 1st of May,
thus allowing for the accession of a united island.
