EP to Put Oostlander’s Turkey Report to a Vote

Oostlander agreed to change his remarks regarding Kemalism after receiving heavy criticism from both Turkey and EP members.

According to the report, a solution to the Cyprus issue carries major importance for Turkey-EU relations, as do fundamental changes in the state structure and a new constitution that will eliminate barriers to EU membership. It pointed out that the Justice and Development Party (AKP), which was swept into office by a wide margin in the Nov. 3 elections, had tremendous responsibilities in the area of implementing reforms. It went on to say that the current parliament represents only 55 percent of the country’s electorate and criticized the 10 percent threshold that prevents parties winning less than that percentage of the total vote from taking a place in parliament.

Ali Ihsan Aydin / Strasbourg / FRANCE