BRUSSELS, Oct 6 (AFP) - Herewith key points from a European Commission report published Wednesday on whether the European Union should agree to start membership talks with Turkey, according to leaked copies of the document.
Commission chief Romano Prodi said the report amounted to a "conditional yes" to Turkey's EU hopes.
Main recommendation:
"The Commission considers that Turkey sufficiently fulfils the political criteria and recommends that accession negotiations be opened," says the report.
Warning that talks could be suspended, or even broken off:
"The Commission will recommend the suspension of the negotiations in the case of a serious and persistent breach of the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and the rule of law on which the Union is founded."
"The objective, accession, is clear, but it cannot guaranteed beforehand."
Length of negotiations foreseen:
No specific timeline is given, but the Commission says that "The necessary preparations for accession will last well into the next decade," adding: "The pace of reforms will determine the progress in negotiations."
Human rights and protection of minorities:
The report notes that Turkey has made "considerable" progress in adopting international human rights conventions, but 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, but the report says 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."
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."
Freedom of expression:
The draft report noted a "reduction in the number of prosecutions and convictions in cases related to freedom of expression. But it says: "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."
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."