EU-Turkey: Accession talks move forward only in parallel with progress in reforms
Luxembourg (23 June) – The state of accession negotiations between the EU and Turkey and the road ahead to re-create and sustain a credible momentum of this process have been on the program of the EU-Turkey Association Council in Luxembourg on Monday. The European Commission was represented by Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle who said the following to the media after the meeting:
‘We had good exchange of views on a whole range of issues during this Association Council meeting.
Similarly to my meetings in Ankara last week, I stressed also today that it is important to sustain the momentum in the accession negotiations in the interest of both parties and in order to achieve real and tangible results.
I also underlined that the EU should remain the anchor for reforms in Turkey, especially in the areas of the rule of law, judiciary, and fundamental rights and freedoms.
I welcomed the progress on reforms, including the implementation of the 3rd judicial reform package which resulted in increased use of judicial control. The 4th judicial reform package continued this positive trend.
At the same time, I expressed serious concerns about the adopted legislation which can have an adverse impact on the independence of the judiciary, the separation of powers, and on freedom of expression, including Internet. The massive reassignments and dismissals in the police, the judiciary and the civil service over the last few months are also a matter of serious concern.
I also encouraged Turkey to address any allegations of corruption. Only transparent and impartial way of handling corruption allegations can guarantee public trust in the state and its institutions.
I encouraged Turkey to work on reforms which should provide for adequate checks and balances fully guaranteeing freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights. The EU is ready to continue and deepen its engagement with Turkey in these areas.
Finally, I have also underlined that the implementation of the Additional Protocol would inject new life into the accession process. Several chapters could be opened and some even closed relatively quickly.
The accession negotiations are the central engine of our relations. But they can only move forward in parallel with convincing progress in both: the political reforms and on all Cyprus related issues.
In general, it was a good Council meeting, continuing in the positive spirit we reached with Minister Çavuşoğlu last week in Turkey. We have reaffirmed our joint commitment to the three currently most important issues: finding the way to ensure compatibility of the prepared Turkish legislation with the EU acquis, using in the best way possible the last three peer reviews on judiciary, criminal justice and freedom of expression; and in the context of the meeting we held last week with the Civil Society in Ankara underlining the importance of the involvement of other stakeholders in this process.’
