ANKARA - The European Commission stated on Friday that it welcomed the adoption by Turkish parliament of a series of constitutional amendments.
Releasing a statement, the European Commission said, ''this new package shows once again the strong commitment of Turkey to political reforms, and constitutes another step towards compliance with the Copenhagen political criteria.''
The European Commission noted, ''the new provisions under this reform package touch upon a number of areas ranging from the judiciary, civil-military relations, freedom of the press and gender equality. Some of the changes are particularly significant such as the abolition of the State Security Courts and the withdrawal of the representative of the National Security Council in the High Education Board.''
''We note that some of the amendments address the specific issues mentioned in the Commission's Regular Report and in the conclusions of the Brussels European Council on December 2003. In the period ahead, the Commission calls upon Turkey to address all the remaining issues under the Copenhagen political criteria and to ensure full and effective implementation of these reforms,'' the Commission said.
The European Commission added, ''the Commission will have the opportunity to discuss in detail to review the state of compliance with the Copenhagen political criteria in its regular contacts with the Turkish authorities and at the upcoming meeting of the Association Council planned on May 18.''
(UK) 07.05.2004
ANKARA - The European Commission stated on Friday that it welcomed the adoption by Turkish parliament of a series of constitutional amendments.
Releasing a statement, the European Commission said, ''this new package shows once again the strong commitment of Turkey to political reforms, and constitutes another step towards compliance with the Copenhagen political criteria.''
The European Commission noted, ''the new provisions under this reform package touch upon a number of areas ranging from the judiciary, civil-military relations, freedom of the press and gender equality. Some of the changes are particularly significant such as the abolition of the State Security Courts and the withdrawal of the representative of the National Security Council in the High Education Board.''
''We note that some of the amendments address the specific issues mentioned in the Commission's Regular Report and in the conclusions of the Brussels European Council on December 2003. In the period ahead, the Commission calls upon Turkey to address all the remaining issues under the Copenhagen political criteria and to ensure full and effective implementation of these reforms,'' the Commission said.
The European Commission added, ''the Commission will have the opportunity to discuss in detail to review the state of compliance with the Copenhagen political criteria in its regular contacts with the Turkish authorities and at the upcoming meeting of the Association Council planned on May 18.''
(UK) 07.05.2004