By EU Turkey Civic Commission
November 2005

The EU Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC) would like to present its views on the perspectives of the accession negotiations between the European Union and Turkey.

The EUTCC is genuinely supportive of Turkey’s aspirations to become a member of the EU. We believe this is the best opportunity Turkey will have to become a truly democratic country, with full respect for the rule of law and human rights. However, it is obvious that Turkish membership must be conditional on the full implementation of all accession criteria, including respect for and protection of minorities There must be no bargaining or reductions in the standards of compliance for geopolitical or other extraneous reasons.

After some observations on the 2005 Progress Report, the present paper limits itself to discussing five main problem areas, which in many ways represent an acid test for Turkey’s aspirations to membership of the European Union:

· Torture
· Freedom of expression
· Freedom of association - political parties
· The judiciary
· The role of the military


Read the report