Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the reform process in Turkey

Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the reform process in Turkey. The EU warmly welcomes the latest package of reforms approved by the Turkish National Assembly, which reflects the continuing Turkish commitment towards meeting the Copenhagen political criteria. The package appears to deepen and broaden the reform process, by addressing several of the priorities of the accession partnership, such as civilian control of the military, the fight against torture and the exercise of fundamental freedoms. In the Commission's forthcoming regular report, the contents of the package will be assessed more thoroughly and the European Council will review progress in December 2003. In Copenhagen, the European Council acknowledged the Turkish Government's determination to take further steps on the path of reform and urged it to swiftly address the remaining shortcomings in the field of political criteria. In Thessaloniki, it welcomed the Turkish Government's commitment to carry forward the reform process, in particular the remaining legislative work, by the end of 2003. In the light of the aforesaid package, the European Union therefore encourages the Turkish authorities to pursue energetically the process, not only with regard to legislation but also with regard to its effective implementation. The Acceding Countries Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia, the Associated Countries Bulgaria, Romania, and the EFTA countries, members of the European Economic Area align themselves with this declaration.