EU COMMISSIONER SAYS TURKEY’S PACE OF REFORMS SLOWED DOWN

Anatolia news agency, Ankara,
3 Oct 06

Ankara, 3 October: "As a friend of Turkey, I want to be frank and
open with you, as friends always should be: the pace of reforms
has slowed down in the past 12 months. We expect Turkey to fulfil
its commitments as regards to the additional protocol," European
Commissioner for enlargement Olli Rehn said on Tuesday [3 October].

Rehn took the floor at a meeting in Ankara on "European Social Model
and Syndicated Rights in EU Negotiation Process" arranged by Turk-Is
(Confederation of Turkish Employees’ Trade Unions).

Rehn said nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) were very important
for the steps that would be taken in Turkey’s EU process.

"The role of social partners is central in any modern society. Social
dialogue has been a cornerstone of the European project since its
very beginning.

For Turkey it is also important since one of the premises for a
successful accession is a broad societal consensus on European goals.

The same goes for meeting the challenges of globalisation. Needless to
say, trade unions play a particularly valuable role in this respect,"
Rehn stated.

Rehn said: "I am glad to be today in Ankara for the first anniversary
of the EU’s accession negotiations with Turkey. The 3rd of October
2005 was a historic day. The decision opened up the process towards
Turkey’s accession to the EU and it implied a qualitative change
in our relations, as your country has since then no longer been a
candidate but a negotiating country."

"It should not be surprise to any that there is an ongoing debate on
enlargement in the EU as well as in Turkey. Such a debate is normal
and healthy.

And you should not expect it to stop: it will accompany the process
until the very end, and even beyond," Rehn said.

He said: "In the EU, this debate is wide. Voices have been raised
requesting a pause to enlargement. There are those who have concerns
about issues such as the effect on the labour market or the costs
for the present member states. There are some who wonder how EU
will function with Turkey as a member. But this debate is not
Turkey-specific, it has to do with the Union itself."

"However, it is also perfectly normal that, every time we welcome a new
member to our family, we want to ensure that the house is comfortable
and functional for everybody. In other words, the EU must be able to
effectively continue to deliver its policies. This is nothing new,
but has been the challenge of all previous enlargements," he stated.

Rehn indicated: "EU is a complex organization. We have our
institutional framework, within which the European Parliament, the
council and the commission play their distinctive roles. We are a
union of 25 member states, each of them with their democratically
elected government, its elections, its politicians who express their
views in the context of their national debate."

He said: "We should welcome this debate and meet arguments with
counterarguments, myths with facts, and, inertia with action.

Turkey’s best response is a rock-solid, resolute commitment to reforms
that would allow the country to meet the conditions for accession."

Rehn said: "Let there be no misunderstanding on the strategic value of
our common project. Europe needs Turkey as a key player, as a bridge
and as a proactive moderator. Turkish accession should set a powerful
counter-example to the alleged ‘clash of civilisations’.

Turkey is, also, essential for the stability and security of one of the
most unstable and insecure regions in the world. Turkey’s strategic
significance was once again illustrated by its decision to take part
in the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon."

Rehn said: "The adoption of the ninth reform package is necessary. It
concerns a number of issues that Turkey needs to address as a matter
of urgency, even if it does not address the critical issue of free
speech. I am convinced that Turkey’s progress in resolutely pursuing
the reform agenda will have a most positive impact on the European
public opinion."

Rehn said: "Freedom of expression must be brought fully in line with
European standards. There have been altogether some 70 cases against
journalists, authors, publishers and citizen activists for supposedly
"insulting Turkishness", but in reality expressing non-violent
opinions. The prosecutions have been done on the basis of Article
301 of the penal code. We pointed out the loophole already when the
new penal code was prepared, but our advice was not taken into account.

The recent ruling of the Court of Cassation on the [ethnic Armenian
writer] Hrant Dink case set a jurisprudence which keeps freedom of
expression under threat in this country. The judicial proceedings
have a chilling effect and damage the important work carried out
by journalists, intellectuals and activists. It is high time that
Turkey brings the penal code into line with the European Convention
on Human Rights."

He said: "As regards women’s rights, the implementation of legal
provisions, for example as regards punishment of crimes supposedly
committed in the name of honour, needs to be improved."

"The terrorist activity of PKK [Kurdistan Workers’ Party] has been
condemned by the EU without any ambiguity. But the problems of
the Southeast cannot be addressed through an exclusively security
approach. Turkey needs to develop a strategy for the region that
addresses its political and socio-economic problems together with
the cultural rights of the Kurdish population," Rehn added.

"Turkey needs to ensure that full trade union rights are respected in
line with EU standards and ILO Conventions, in particular as regards
the right to organize, the right to strike and the right to bargain
collectively. To this effect, Turkey needs to eliminate existing
restrictions and adopt a fully revised legislation in this area for
both private and public sectors," Rehn noted.

"Unfortunately, no progress has been made by Turkey on the trade union
rights recently. Therefore, one of my main messages to my Turkish
interlocutors today and tomorrow will be that we expect the government
to redress this and present a legislative initiative shortly, once the
ongoing consultation with social partners has been duly completed,"
he stated.

Rehn noted: "We appreciate the reforms Turkey has carried out in the
recent years. But as a friend of Turkey, I want to be frank and open
with you, as friends always should be: the pace of reforms has slowed
down in the past 12 months."

He stated: "The expectations have risen since Turkey became a
negotiating country on 3 October last year. It is therefore all the
more important that new initiatives are taken and tangible progress
is still achieved before the Commission will present its report on
8 November."

"Since signing the Additional Protocol of the Association Agreement
in July 2005 as a condition to open the accession negotiations,
Turkey has not moved towards its implementation. It has not removed
obstacles to the free movement of goods, including restrictions
on transport links with Cyprus. Y et, this is a legal, contractual
obligation Turkey has made," he noted.

Rehn said: "Our common endeavour of the EU accession process with
Turkey is not only about reforms and chapters. It is as much about
communication and mutual understanding."

Stating that many Europeans ask questions which concern geography,
culture, religion, civilization, history, Rehn indicated: "They ponder
what will be the impact of Turkey’s EU accession on the philosophy
of the European integration and on the effective functioning of the
EU. Many concerns are understandable and must be addressed in the
course of the negotiations. Others result from ignorance of what
Turkey is today."

"Concerns of the Turkish public opinion seem to be of a different
nature. The main challenge is the perceived uncertainty of the EU’s
true intentions towards Turkey. As I said, we mean business, and
you can rest assured that the EU is committed to pursue Turkey’s EU
accession, on the condition it meets our criteria fully," he stated.

"Be that as it may, we must get to know each other better. This is the
aim of the Commission’s programme to enable a civil society dialogue
between Turkey and the EU. Some 70m euros will be committed to this
programme in 2006," Rehn stressed.

"If Turkey succeeds in its reforms and meets the criteria of accession,
it will become an ever stronger bridge of civilizations.

This is a great opportunity for both Europe and Turkey, especially for
their younger generations. I want to make sure that this opportunity
is not missed," he added.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress