Eurocommissaris Verheugen (Uitbreiding van de EU) tevreden met hervormingen in Turkije (en)
Auteur: | By Andrew Beatty
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Enlargement Commissioner Gunter Verheugen stated today that a row over the reform of Turkey's penal code has been resolved, bringing Turkey one step closer to starting talks on EU membership.
"We have been able to find solutions for all remaining outstanding problems", he said during a joint press conference with the Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Brussels on Thursday.
Earlier there was outcry in Brussels and among pro-reform Turks at a ban on adultery being included as part of key penal legislation.
The ban was seen by many as a retrograde step, pandering to right-wing elements of the government.
This crisis now appears to have been a last minute wobble, coming just two weeks before the Commission produces a key report on Turkeys preparedness to start accession negotiations.
"The assurances I got today will allow me to make a very clear recommendation" Mr Verheugen added.
On the basis of the Commission report the EU's member states will decide, or not, whether to start negotiations with Turkey.
Mr Verheugen also announced that a Commission group investigating torture in the country found that there are no grounds for accusing the Turkish authorities of systematic abuses.