Brussels, 06/10/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 3 October, Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle called on Turkey to reform its judicial system. “Judiciary reform in line with European standards is [the] backbone of [the] process” for Turkey's accession to the EU, said Füle on Twitter, after his meeting with Turkey's Minister for Justice Bekir Bozdag. Füle stated that “the issues faced by the Turkish judicial system” had to be tackled, and he underlined the need to strengthen the independence and impartiality of the judicial authority, and to strengthen the fight against corruption. He said that work remained to be done in order to increase the effectiveness of the criminal justice system and the fight against organised crime.
Füle also warned about the need to continue progress on fundamental rights, and he called on Turkey to engage more in its cooperation with the European Commission in the area of the rule of law and fundamental rights. He hailed the adoption of a plan this year aiming to fight against infringements of the European Convention on Human Rights. “This has the potential to promote the protection of human rights by addressing long-standing issues relating to the freedom of expression, the protection of minorities and the right to assembly”, Füle stated.
Cooperation between the Commission and Turkey to improve the Turkish judicial system is to continue. “As a first step, a joint working group will be set up to follow-up on the recommendations of the recent peer reviews in the area of judiciary and fundamental rights”, the Commission stated. Füle said he was looking forward to the adoption of Turkey's action plans following the release of the new EU strategy. He also welcomed the intention of Turkey's Ministry for Justice to increase transparency and inclusiveness in the legislative process.
The Commission will present its progress report on Turkey on Wednesday 8 October. (CG)