Brussels, 08/10/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 8 October, the European Commission called for the reference criteria for Chapters 23 (judicial power and fundamental rights) and 24 (justice, freedom and security) for Turkey to be defined “as soon as possible”. These accession negotiation chapters with Turkey are blocked by Cyprus due to the Turkish occupation in the north of the island. “It is in the interest of both Turkey and the EU that the opening benchmarks for chapters 23 (…) and 24 (…) are agreed upon and communicated to Turkey as soon as possible, with a view to enabling the opening of negotiations under these two chapters”, the Commission states in its 2014 progress report on Turkey. “The opening of negotiations under these two chapters” would entitle Turkey to a detailed roadmap for reforms in the essential area of fundamental rights, the Commission states. This could give a strong impulse to the negotiation process, according to the Commission.
In its report, the Commission is concerned amongst other things about the independence of the judiciary and the separation of powers. The attempts to ban social media, which were later annulled by the Constitutional Court, and the pressure on the press leading to generalised self-censorship, reflect a restrictive approach of the freedom of expression, the Commission adds, stating that the approach adopted in the area of the freedom of assembly remains restrictive.
The Commission nevertheless hails Turkey's progress with the continued implementation of the reforms announced in the democratisation package of September 2013, the entry into force of the EU-Turkey readmission agreement on 1 October 2014, and the renewed efforts for peaceful settlement of the Kurdish issue.
For the Commission, it is time to work to release all the potential of the customs union and to develop an active and large scale economic dialogue. Development of the dialogue and cooperation on foreign policy issues of common interest is needed, the Commission adds. It recalls that it is now urgent for Ankara to implement the additional protocol fully and make progress on normalising relations with the Republic of Cyprus. (CG)