Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht said on 12 September 2004 that a proposed adultery law in Türkiye would be a "serious obstacle" to the country's chances of joining the European Union, speaking on VRT television.
The ruling Justice and Development Party had introduced legislation earlier that month to reinstate criminal penalties for adultery, reversing a change made eight years before when the offense was removed from the penal code.
EU enlargement commissioner Guenter Verheugen, completing an assessment trip to Türkiye ahead of the European Commission's October progress review, said he was baffled that Ankara would pursue such a measure at this stage. He had otherwise praised Türkiye during the visit, raising hopes about the country's long-standing ambition to integrate with the bloc.
The Commission's report was to form the basis of a December decision by EU leaders on whether to open accession negotiations with Türkiye, which remained the only candidate country that had not yet entered formal talks with the 25-member union.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in September 2004, in its own words.