Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

ANKARA: Turkey-EU Committee Chairman, Rapporteur Say Reforms Too Slo

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • ANKARA: Turkey-EU Committee Chairman, Rapporteur Say Reforms Too Slo

    TURKEY-EU COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN, RAPPORTEUR SAY REFORMS TOO SLOW

    Anatolia News Agency
    Nov 5 2008
    Turkey

    "TURKEY HAS BEEN TOO SLOW IN ITS REFORMS, TURKEY-EU DELEGATION
    CHAIRMAN"

    BRUSSELS (A.A) - 05.11.2008 - The Chairman of the Turkey-EU Joint
    Parliamentary Committee Joost Lagendijk and European Parliament's
    Rapporteur on Turkey Ria Oomen-Ruijten said Wednesday that Turkey
    has been too slow in its reforms last year.

    "Turkey has been too slow in its reforms and I regret that the European
    Commission has not made this lack of progress clear enough in its
    report. The European Commission should have given Turkey a clear
    warning. Turkey's lack of reform could jeopardize their chances of
    EU membership," Lagendijk said.

    "The European Commission report focuses on Turkey's strategic
    importance to the region. The EU welcomes the progress recently made by
    Turkey with its neighbour Armenia. This is a positive development. But
    the European Commission and the Turkish government risk placing too
    much emphasis on Turkey's strategic importance. The EU must make clear
    that progress made in foreign policy is no excuse for Turkey to drag
    its feet on internal reforms, especially where freedom of expression
    and human rights are concerned," Lagendijk said.

    "One of the inadequate internal reforms is this year's modification
    of Article 301 regarding "insulting the Turkish nation". The EU
    anticipated that this would lead to fewer charges, but this was
    unfortunately not the case," Lagendijk said.

    Ria Oomen-Ruijten is uncertain if the Turkish Government still intends
    to continue with its reform process.

    "As the Commission concludes in its report, progress in the last
    year has been very limited. Very few of the issues highlighted in
    the European Parliament's Resolutions have been addressed. Looking
    back at the developments in Turkey in the last year, I wonder whether
    the Turkish Government is still willing to continue with the reform
    process. There has been no update of the national reform plan which
    was adopted several years ago," Oomen-Ruijten said.

    "I am concerned by the ongoing polarization of the Turkish society. I
    urge the leaders of the political parties to seriously seek dialogue
    and to agree, in the spirit of compromise, on a reform agenda for
    the modernization of Turkey," Oomen-Ruijten said.

    "Impatience in the European Parliament is growing. We need a clear
    signal from Turkey that it wishes to continue with the integration
    process to which it committed itself in 2005," Oomen-Ruijten also said.
Working...
X