Brussels: Prodi and Verheugen hold press conference

Prodi says, “A lot has been done on human rights but still lots remains to be done. We don’t have a guarantee that these positive developments are irreversible and this process will be successfully completed. Sufficient time is needed to ensure the reforms are adopted into the Turkish citizens’ daily life.”

Verheugen says, “The mission is completed and accomplished. I am very happy that I got such strong support in the commission. Much, much more than I expected. I can tell you that in my view the choice was very clear. It was the choice between yes and not yet. Progress was simply too strong and the involvement of the civil society in Turkey was too positive. The only guarantee for continuation is the continuation of the process of accession to the European Union. We have used a clear and transparent methodology. We must make a distinction between political criteria and the formal fulfillment of these criteria in terms of the constitution. The Turkish government is credited with the affirmative action. We can trust Turkey to continue its reforms.”