Verheugen: Turkey Far, Far Away From EU Criteria

In a short interview with the Brussels weekly newspaper European Voice, Verheugen emphasized that it was essential to solve Turkey’s human rights problems before beginning membership discussions.

The commissioner went on to say that Turkey, "had very serious deficiencies."

"The matter is not how close Turkey is to the membership. I can say that concerning the matter, the country is far, far away. The essential matter is when Turkey will be ready to begin discussions."

Verheugen talked about the recent reforms in Turkey and said that, "some positive efforts have been made."

He also said that Turkey has moved closer to starting discussions when compared to the past.

"My message to Ankara cannot be more clear. Let’s begin cleaning the human rights record of yours."