Turkey is One Step Closer to the E.U.

Diplomatic sources that spoke to Zaman noted that while the screening process continues, it is not possible to consider giving a discussion date to Turkey. The process is applied to new members of the E.C. to track the progress new members are making towards fulfillment of their requirements. A decision to lift controls on Turkey would mean that Turkey has fulfiled the Copenhagen Criteria.

Reportedly, reform efforts ongoing since 2001 and a solution in the Titina Loizidou case had an impact on the proposal to change the control mechanism. In early 2003, Turkey made a request to COEPA in this regard.

The report to be discussed next week in Paris states that Turkish reforms in human rights and democracy have met with approval. In light of this, the report calls for the screening process to be concluded and for Turkey to be moved to the ‘post monitoring’ phase.

The report was meant to be discussed and voted on last September. However, the negotiations in the Loizidou case and the democratization process were still ongoing at that time. For this reason, the audit report had been postponed for discussion and voting this year. If the report had been discussed last year, chances are that Turkey would still be in the monitoring phase.

E.U. officials stress the importance of starting discussions for full membership with a country that is in the process of being monitored. One of the founding members of the E.C., Turkey had been included in monitoring phase because of concerns about its human rights practices and democracy.