Brussels, 18/05/2004 (Agence Europe) - The European Union expects Turkey to "effectively implement reforms at every level of the administration and throughout its territory", the President-in-Office of the Foreign Affairs Council, Brian Cowen, insisted after the EU-Turkey Association Council held on Tuesday afternoon in Brussels. During the meeting, European Commissioner Günter Verheugen insisted on the implementation of reforms for the right of expression in the Kurdish language. He welcomed the schooling given in Kurdish in three towns of Anatolia but criticised the "considerable difficulties" remaining in "some areas" and the absence of radio and television in any language other than Turkish. The Commissioner felt that knowledge of the reforms "varies considerably according to the regions". Recognising that the implementation of reforms is a difficult task, he "gave his full support" to the government's efforts.
Among the other legislative reforms to be carried out, the Commissioner cited freedom of expression, the criminal code, and the presence of the military at the committee on audiovisual supervision. Mr Cowen, like Mr Verheugen, broadly stressed the importance of the reforms already accomplished by Turkey. Mr Verheugen denied rumours going round in Turkey that the Commission has the intention to present its crucial report on Turkey's compliance with the Copenhagen criteria by October.