TURKEY SET FOR 9TH EU REFORM PACKAGE
New Anatolian, Turkey
April 13 2006
The Turkish government on Wednesday rejected criticism that it’s
lost enthusiasm for European Union membership, announcing a new
reform package which will further restrict the power of the military,
expand the rights of non-Muslim minorities and increase transparency
in public administrations.
The ninth EU reform package aims to increase the transparency of
political party funding, set up a parliamentary political ethics
committee, restructure the Human Rights Presidency to be a stronger
and independent unit, step up the fight against corruption, introduce
an ombudsman system to settle differences between individuals and the
state and amend the Settlement Law to end discriminatory laws against
migrant populations, including the Roma. The package includes the
ratification of the optional protocols to the International Covenant of
Civil and Political Rights and Protocol 12 of the European Convention
of Human Rights on the general prohibition of discrimination by public
authorities. The ratification of the revised European Social Charter
is also included in the package.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said yesterday
that Turkey is dedicated to pursuing reforms that are critical to its
goal of becoming a member of the EU. “Some say reforms have stopped,”
Gul told a televised news conference. “This isn’t true. We’re very
determined to go ahead with reforms,” he stressed.
Gul’s remarks, which included assurances that the government will
soon speed up the approval process of several necessary measures,
appeared to be an attempt at countering EU criticism that the pace of
reform in Turkey has slowed since the 25-member bloc opened membership
talks with Ankara in October.
The Turkish foreign minister said Parliament will soon pass bills that
will give civilian officials greater authority to inspect military
spending and others to increase accountability, transparency and
ethical rules for the administration of public institutions.
A bill aimed to “bring to a very minimum” instances in which civilians
can be tried by military courts will also be passed, Gul added.
“We’re very determined to take this reform process further,” said
Gul. “There’s no end to the improvements that will be made … Turkey’s
direction is greater democratization.”
In January, EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said he was
“seriously concerned” about the pace of reforms in Turkey, and urged
Ankara to address the issue quickly to strengthen its membership bid.
Rehn said that he expected Ankara to tackle those points “without
delay so that toward the end of 2006 we’ll be able to give a more
positive assessment than we could give at the end of 2005” on Turkey’s
progress toward meeting EU membership criteria.
No change to Article 301 for the time being
Gul gave no indication that his government would change several key
measures that EU officials have called on Turkey to amend.
A particular area of concern is the revised Turkish Penal Code’s
(TCK) Article 301, under which some prominent intellectuals have
been put on trial for criticizing state institutions or “denigrating
the Turkish national identity.” The new reform package foresees no
further amendments to the penal code. Turkey’s best-known novelist,
Orhan Pamuk, was prosecuted under this law until the charges were
dropped earlier this year.
Gul said there will be fewer such prosecutions. He said that this
won’t come about through a change of legislation, but rather because
of an acknowledgement by judges and prosecutors that criticism of
state institutions doesn’t amount to insulting them.
“We need a change of mentality,” Gul said. “This process will take
time.”
EU officials have repeatedly called on Turkey to reopen the religious
seminary that used to train the Greek Orthodox minority’s religious
leaders and to restore property to minority Christian groups that
was seized by the state because of a decline in the size of their
congregations.
Gul said reforms will address problems faced by minority religious
groups, such as the Greeks and Armenians, and will provide their
associations with more rights. The related bill, however, doesn’t
foresee the return of, or compensation for, property owned by
non-Muslims that was confiscated by the state and sold to third
parties. Diplomats have said this matter can be addressed sometime
in the future under a different framework.
Gul didn’t mention of the reopening of Halki religious seminary,
but he promised that the government will keep up the reform process.
“Turkey’s direction is more democracy and improvement of individual
rights and freedoms,” Gul said, “These will further strengthen Turkey.”