In recent years, Turkey has made significant progress in the adoption of wide-ranging political reforms. Important human rights reforms have been introduced, including in relation to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, and the rights of women.
In December 2004, the European Council decided that Turkey sufficiently fulfilled the Copenhagen criteria, including in relation to human rights, to enable the opening of accession negotiations. These began on 3 October 2005. Throughout the accession negotiations, the European Union will expect Turkey to sustain the process of reform which it has already begun and to work towards further improvements, including in respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
In its 2005 progress report on Turkey, the European Commission noted that important legislative reforms have now entered into force and should lead to structural changes in the legal system, particularly in the judiciary. However, the Commission also stated that the pace of change slowed in 2005 and implementation of reforms remained uneven. Despite some progress the report notes inconsistencies in human rights protection. Legislative progress has been achieved with regard to the exercise of fundamental freedoms, notably through the entry into force of a new penal code and a new law on associations, and in practice individuals and civil society organisations enjoy greater freedom than in the past. Nevertheless, individuals continue to be prosecuted and convicted for the expression of non-violent opinion and certain associations continue to face constraints on their activities. In this context, the European Union welcomed the decision of the Turkish courts to dismiss the case against the writer Orhan Pamuk on 22 January 2006. At the same time, the Union reiterated its continued concern at other charges related to the expression of non-violent opinions which are still pending before Turkish courts.
Together with our EU partners and through our embassy in Ankara, we will continue to monitor the human rights situation in Turkey and to stress the importance of adherence to the standards enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights. We look forward to engaging positively with Turkey on the issues involved.