Good news from Brussels

We can breathe a sigh of relief.
Turkey will face no new surprises on Dec. 17 on the matter of starting negotiations. The general outlook is that the negotiations will start sometime in 2005. The things I wrote about months ago are now becoming a reality one-by-one. In other words, it is becoming certain that the negotiations will start in 2005, without any further delay, and without any further pre-conditions attached.
The agreement among the foreign ministers is very important. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the heads of state and government will not deviate from the agreement reached by their foreign ministers. In politics, people should always be prepared for any eventuality. However, we can easily say that the risk has decreased.

Look what we changed

Sometimes we are so entangled with day-to-day matters that we don’t notice where we are. The same is true of the Copenhagen criteria.
Turkey has surprised everyone since 2001: Not only EU officials, but we amazed even ourselves at what we achieved, indeed, the progress can easily be seen.
I asked the EU General Secretariat to send me a list of our accomplishments: According to the list Turkey made 43 amendments in the Constitution between 2001 and 2004. No less than 66 laws, including eight harmonization packages, 49 circulars and 29 regulations and one rule book were passed and implemented. Some 175 laws that influenced our lives were changed.
If you are wondering to what these laws applied, let me give you a list.

– A new civil code and a new media law.
– Abolition of the death penalty.
– End of emergency rule in the Southeast.
– Lifting of the ban on Kurdish and allowing the broadcast in local languages.
– Purchase of tangible assets by non-Muslim communities and restricting the opening of places of worship was eased.
– Foundations and associations laws were changed.
– Limits imposed on the right to gather and hold rallies were lifted and the matter was harmonized with EU norms.
– Important changes on laws of torture and mistreatment were made, and the laws that protected state servants found guilty of such crimes were abolished.
– The maximum time spent in police custody was decreased to 48 hours.
– State Security Courts (DGM) were abolished.
– The European Court of Human Rights decisions (such as retrials) became applicable.
– The National Security Council (MGK) was transformed into an advisory body and its executive powers were changed.
– The appointment of a civilian as the secretary-general of the MGK was made possible.
– Amendments to ensure the Office of Chief of General Staff expenses were put under scrutiny.

What use were these changes?

I am sure, after reading the list, you were also impressed.
So many measures were taken that, if listed, a person can make a more healthy judgment.
Let’s now ask ourselves, “Why did we implement all these changes?”
Were they for us; or just to get a date to start membership negotiations with the EU?
Some constantly argue, “We’re sacrificing too much,”claiming that the reforms were passed just to please the Europeans.
Is that right?
No!
These reforms were already too late and were expected by the Turkish nation. There was no way past limitations could go on. Some social upheaval would have happened eventually. We had no other option but to implement these reforms.
The pressure to get a date to start EU negotiations just provided an added impetus to our efforts.
So, is it good that the reforms were passed?
How can it be bad? Whatever we did, we did it for ourselves. Even if we don’t get a date to start the negotiations, Turkey is still better for having done what it has.
If we get a date, the reforms will be more widely implemented and new changes will be made. Just think of what Turkey has done in exchange for a promise — and imagine what it can do when negotiations start.