EU parliamentarians set to slam Turkey over reforms

The slow pace of reforms and lack of progress on freedom of expression are expected to be the main issues of contention in Turkish-EU relations in the coming weeks, in addition to Cyprus

ANKARA - Turkish Daily News Saturday, September 2, 2006

Members of the European Parliament are set to debate on Monday a report slamming the slow pace of reform, a warning to European Union hopeful Turkey before the EU Commission is to release a highly critical assessment of Turkish progress in October.
In a sign of increasing EU pressure on Ankara to do better, EU Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn has also sent a letter to Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül, criticizing Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) as restricting freedom of expression. Rehn lamented that the pace of reform has slowed down in Turkey and asked in his letter for a revision of the controversial article, which the EU blames for numerous trials against intellectuals, journalists and activists for expressing peaceful views, daily Referans reported yesterday.
The report at the European Parliament, due to be debated on Monday at the Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, praised recent acquittals of academics prosecuted for "insulting Turkishness" under Article 301, but cited concerns over cases such as that of Armenian-Turkish editor Hrant Dink, who was given a suspended six-month jail term under the same article for remarks pertaining to an alleged genocide of Armenians by the late Ottoman Empire.
The report and Rehn's warning come as Turkey and the EU brace for a showdown over Cyprus. With Turkey refusing to open its ports and airports to traffic from EU member Greek Cyprus, many see a crisis inevitable in the coming weeks and months. Turkey says it will not open its ports and airports unless the EU moves to fulfill its pledge of easing isolation of the Turkish Cypriots. The European Parliament report, penned by Dutch politician Camiel Eurlings affirmed EU calls for Turkey to remove its refusal to implement an agreement with the EU opening its sea and air ports to Greek Cypriot traffic, Reuters said.
Other problematic areas are freedom of expression, the rights of religious minorities, corruption, and violence against women. "The European Parliament ... regrets the slowing down of the reform process," the draft report said, according to Reuters, highlighting what it called "persistent shortcomings" across a range of areas.
Legally, the European Parliament must give its assent to any state joining the bloc but has never sought to veto any past accession. However, it has been effective in pressuring EU hopefuls to speed reforms in previous enlargement rounds.
A forthcoming law aimed at protecting religious minorities did not go far enough, the report added, whereas a law passed in June increasing the number of crimes classified as terrorism could undermine recent advances in human rights, it said. Progress on reforms was lacking in other areas including civil-military relations, law enforcement, women's and trade union rights and the independence of the judiciary, it said.
Ankara has denied that the pace of reform has slowed since last October and is expected to call Parliament back from its summer recess two weeks early in mid-September to push through a latest package of reforms.