45 Years from the Signing of the Ankara Agreement: EU-Turkey - cooperation continues

Geschrieben von: Dr. Dienelt

A passage selected from the speech of Olli Rehn, the EU Commissioner for Enlargement, at the Conference on EC Turkey Association Agreement on 4 November 2008.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let me first thank Ms. Emine Bozkurt MEP, the European Parliament, IKV and the Consultative Council of Turkish Migrants in Holland for taking the initiative to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the signing of the Ankara agreement.

The importance of the 1963 Association Agreement for EU-Turkey relations is sometimes forgotten. Yet it is the basis of our long-standing close relationship. It provides the origins of our deepening economic, political and institutional relations for the last 45 years.

The aim of the 1963 Association Agreement was to improve living conditions in Turkey and the then European Economic Community through economic cooperation and trade. It has also, since the beginning, been part of a broader political project, namely Turkey's integration into Europe with the prospect of accession clearly mentioned.

Then Commission President Walter Hallstein was very clear when, on the occasion of the signature in Ankara, he stated that "Turkey is a part of Europe".

Since then, we have moved a long way forward. The Ankara Agreement opened the way to the establishment of the Customs Union in 1995, the deepest economic and trade relationship that the EU has ever had with any third country. The vision of Dr Hallstein of opening our doors to Turkey in the European Union has moved closer to becoming reality, with the opening of accession negotiations in October 2005.

I will come back to accession negotiations in a moment. ….

Ladies and Gentlemen,
This summer Turkey averted a major political crisis in the context of the party closure case before the Constitutional Court. However, the tensions surrounding this case absorbed valuable time and energy, which would have been more usefully devoted to the necessary reforms.

Lessons have to be drawn. The first one is the urgent need in Turkey for a broad-based dialogue in political circles, the business community, civil society and academia. It is crucial for the stability of the country and also for progress in the accession process. It is not just one party, one region or one segment of society that joins the EU, but the whole country.

The other lesson is that Turkey now needs to carry out judicial and constitutional reforms to modernise the country and reflect changes in Turkish society – including further moves to enhance the rights and freedoms of citizens.

It is time for the political and social forces to recognise that, as in any EU democracy, Turkish citizens – all Turkish citizens – want to see their lifestyles protected within a solid framework for tolerance of different, without having to seek recourse to court cases to defend their rights.
The creation of the office of an independent Ombudsman is vital in this respect. The Ombudsman could help defuse tensions surrounding the debate about the relationship between religion and the state and reassure citizens that their rights are being looked after, irrespective of their beliefs and opinions.

The enhancement of freedom of expression and freedom of the press should also be another important reform priority. In our Progress Report we will acknowledge that some efforts have been made to strengthen the safeguards for freedom of expression through the amendment of Article 301 of the Turkish Criminal Code.