BRUSSELS, Oct 5 (AFP) - Herewith the main points of a European Commission report due to be published Wednesday on whether the EU should agree to start membership talks with Turkey, according to leaked copies of the document.
The report is widely expected to give Ankara a green light while warning there is a long road ahead.
Main recommendation:
"Turkey sufficiently fulfils the Copenhagen political criteria to begin membership negotiations."
Length of negotiations:
"The necessary preparations for accession will last well into the next decade. The EU will evolve over this period and Turkey should change even more radically," said an impact study to be released with the Brussels report.
Human rights and protection of minorities:
The draft report notes that Turkey has made "considerable" progress in adopting international human rights conventions.
But it notes that "388 individuals filed complaints of human rights violations from January to June 2004."
Torture and ill-treatment:
"Most of the the legislative and administrative framework required to combat torture and ill-treatment has been put in place since 2002, when the government declared its intention to pursue a zero-tolerance policy against torture."
But the report said that "although torture is no longer systematic, numerous cases of torture and in particular ill-treatment still continue to occur and further efforts will be required to eradicate such practice."
"Turkey still needs to pursue vigorously its efforts to combat torture and othe forms of ill-treatment by law enforcement officials."
Freedom of expression:
The draft report noted a "reduction in the number of prosecutions and convictions in cases related to freedom of expression.
"Nevertheless, there are still a significant number of cases where non-violent expression of opinion is being prosecuted and punished."
Freedom of the press:
"Notable progress has been made," but "journalists, writers and publishers continue to be sentenced for reasons that contravene the standards of the European Court of Human Rights."
The leaked report noted that "the first broadcasts in languages and dialects other than Turkish were aired on radio and television by state broadcasting corporation TRT in June 2004" but said these were subject to strict conditions and were limited in duration.
"Previous restrictions imposed on broadcasters, including the requirement to respect the principle of 'the indivisible unity of the state,' remain unchanged."
Freedom of religion:
"Although freedom of religious beleif is guaranteed in the constitution and freedom to worship is largely unhampered, non-Muslim religious communities continue to encounter obstacles."
The report noted that non-Muslim religious communities "are not allowed to train clergy."
Gender equality:
"The new penal code is generally progressive in terms of women's rights, addressing such crimes as 'honour killings,' sexual assault and virginity testing."
But "sustained efforts will be required to ensure that women take an equal place in society."
Influence of the military:
"Civilian control of the military has been strengthened... with a view to aligning it with practice in EU member states."
But "the armed forces in Turkey continue to exercise influence through a series of informal mechanisms."
Corruption:
Despite progress in fighting graft, "surveys continue to indicate that corruption remains a very serious problem in Turkey."
"Continuous support at the highest poltical level for the fight against corruption would be welcome."