BY SERVET YILDIRIM
SABAH- Next month the European Union will publish the progress report on Turkey. The content of the report can shape both the market economy and politics. EU commissioner for enlargement Guenther Verheugen yesterday arrived in Turkey to collect the recent data for the report. The report will include an evaluation about all the developments which Turkey made since December 1999 and an advice for Turkey. The report will play an important role in giving Turkey a date for accession talks. Therefore, Verheugen’s contacts are very important. If they are thinking about distracting Turkey, they will find the justification for this during the visit. And if there is an atmosphere in the commission in favor of Turkey then this could be consolidated during Verheugen’s three-day visit. Some members of the commission, which will write the report, have some serious hesitations about giving Turkey a date for accession talks. Verheugen’s impressions about Turkey could have an important role in convincing these members.
Turkey came to an important turning point in its relations with the EU. Therefore, we have to avoid making mistakes which could be an obstacle to our EU membership bid, but we have a tendency to make things more difficult to ourselves for example the discussion about adultery. It is difficult to understand the reason behind bringing up the discussion about that adultery would be an offense by a government, which based its policy on Turkey’s EU membership bid. On the other hand, the same government had stated its intentions about a stand-by agreement with the IMF.
We see that the EU doesn’t approve the discussed regulations about adultery. What we have to do is not to make mistakes in these days where we are close to get a date for accession talks. A negative outcome from the EU could have an influence on the market and the political stability. Considering this risk, the government has to be more careful.