EU to adopt new membership criteria for Turkey

The EU turned down Turkey’s demand to be given a prompt date to start accession talks in its Copenhagen summit in December 2002 and said instead that it would revise Turkey’s performance in December 2004 with a view to open talks "without delay."

The existing Accession Partnership Document was revised after the Copenhagen summit and Turkey is also due to present its new National Program stipulating how membership reforms will be accomplished soon.

In addition to the new Accession Partnership Document, the meeting will also take up a 22-page report evaluating Turkey’s annual performance to meet membership criteria.

The report is reportedly telling Turkey that it has still a lot to do to fulfill criteria, especially in the field of human rights, and calling on Turkey to revise its position in Cyprus.

Another item on the meeting’s agenda is the Iraq war and ongoing developments in the country, reports said.