As all eyes are on Luxembourg, where a crucial Turkish-EU Association Council meeting will be held in the wake of the closure of Turkey's main opposition Virtue Party, according to an article by Turkish Daily News on Tuesday.
The EU expressed concern Monday over the closure of the pro-Islamist Virtue Party, saying the ban underlined the need for Turkey to push through democratic reforms if it wanted to make progress toward joining the EU.
"The European Union notes with concern the decision of the Turkish Constitutional Court on June 22 to order the closure of the Virtue Party, to confiscate its assets and to ban certain members from being members of the Turkish Grand National Assembly. This decision has implications for democratic pluralism and freedom of expression in Turkey, a candidate for membership in the EU," the 15-nation bloc said in a statement.
"The decision highlights the need for Turkey to move ahead with political reforms."
In its statement, the EU noted that the Turkish government was trying to push through amendments to the country's Constitution to make it harder for courts to close down parties.
"The EU assumes that this process will be concluded in the near future," so Turkey can meet the criteria, the EU said.
Earlier on Monday, German Justice Minister Herta Daeubler-Gmelin was quoted as telling reporters in Ankara that the court's ruling worried Germany and the EU.
"With due respect, this raises some concerns among the German and European public," Daeubler-Gmelin said.
"Party closures in Germany and other European nations are tied to different standards and are more difficult. But we are hopeful, since constitutional reform (in Turkey) looks likely. Considering Turkey is a European Union candidate, we believe this issue will develop positively," she said.
The Turkish-EU Association Council meeting is due to start Tuesday in Luxembourg in the wake of the Virtue Party's closure by the Constitutional Court on Friday.
Diplomatic sources told the Turkish Daily News that Foreign Minister Ismail Cem would speak about the latest developments in Turkey, particularly about legislative changes in recent months in Turkey. The EU is expected to ask Turkey to accelerate reforms, particularly on human rights issues.
Although Turkey has taken important steps on economic issues to comply with EU rules in recent days, it is no secret that no serious step has not been taken on the political issues, according to the daily – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
