Southeast European Times, MD
Nov 9 2004
Group Holds Conference on Turkey’s Accession Reforms
08/11/2004
Representatives of the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament
held a three-day conference in Istanbul to show support for Turkey’s
EU bid and discuss problems related to the country’s accession.
By Vahit Bora for Southeast European Times in Istanbul – 08/11/04
The conference focused on problems Turkey may have during EU
accession negotiations. [Green/EFA]
Representatives of the Greens/European Free Alliance group in the
European Parliament met in Istanbul from 19 October to 22 October to
discuss Turkey’s EU accession. The conference, the first held by a
European party on Turkish soil, focused on the challenges facing the
country as it seeks to fulfil the Union’s criteria for membership.
“After … intense debate with Turkish politicians, representatives of
Turkish civil society, media representatives, artists and scientists,
we have gained a clearer picture of what is at stake from the
question of Turkey’s entry into the EU,” the group, which focuses on
environmental issues and democratic rights, said in a press
statement.
Describing Franco-German reconciliation and post-communist
integration — the “miracles of the Rhine and the Oder” — as the
cornerstones of Europe’s postwar development, Greens/EFA group
Co-president Daniel Cohn-Bendit suggested Turkish accession would be
an equally important landmark. “I hope that in 10 or 15 years we will
have witnessed a third miracle; the miracle of the Bosphorus,” he
said.
At the same time, Cohn-Bendit said, Turkish politicians should
acknowledge that the country requires special treatment by the EU.
“Turkey is a country of 70 million people and of great importance to
Europe. But its integration into the EU is not comparable to that of
Malta or Bulgaria or Bosnia and Herzegovina. It will be difficult
both for Turkey and for the EU and both sides should be honest,” he
said.
Conferences and roundtable talks addressed a broad range of issues
facing Turkey, including women’s rights, civil liberties, freedom of
the press, environmental concerns, torture and the treatment of the
Kurdish, Armenian and Christian communities. Nearly all agreed that
Turkey has made sweeping changes over the past two years, but many
argued that implementation of reforms remains a problem.
The chairman of the Joint Parliamentary delegation for the EU and
Turkey, Joost Lagendijk, said that reforms and trust are the keys to
Turkey’s accession. Although the conditions for opening of the
negotiations have been met, he said, that does not mean the criteria
have been completely fulfilled.
While affirming its support for Turkey’s accession bid, the
Greens/EFA group said it would continue to monitor Turkey’s progress,
with special attention to issues of human rights, democratisation and
the position of women in society.
–Boundary_(ID_7K0G+JraS0CFT1JNMhQ3LA)–