CE Heads Toward Ending Turkey Monitoring

Over the last three years Turkey has clearly demonstrated its commitment and ability to fulfil its statutory obligations as a Council of Europe member state and the monitoring procedure under way since 1996 should therefore be closed, according to the Monitoring Committee of the organisation’s Parliamentary Assembly.

But the parliamentarians were also in favour of a “post-monitoring dialogue” with Turkey on a twelve-point list of outstanding issues, including a major reform of the 1982 constitution, further recognition of national minorities, continued efforts to combat violence against women, the fight against corruption and amendments to the electoral code.

Approving a report by Mady Delvaux-Stehres (Luxembourg, SOC) and Luc Van den Brande (Belgium, EPP/CD) during a meeting in Paris today, the committee recognised that: “The Turkish authorities have not deviated from their efforts to implement the reforms necessary for the country’s modernisation. Turkey has achieved more reforms in a little over two years than in the previous ten.” In particular it congratulated the authorities on abolishing the death penalty and instituting “zero tolerance” towards torture, and welcomed the lifting of the state of emergency in south-eastern provinces.

The final decision on ending monitoring now lies with the plenary Assembly, which is due to debate the committee’s recommendation during its spring session in Strasbourg (26-30 April 2004).

The Parliamentary Assembly’s monitoring procedure –which applies to ten of the Council of Europe’s 45 member states comprising Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Russian Federation, Serbia and Montenegro, Turkey, Ukraine– involves regular visits to the country and dialogue with the authorities.

The Parliamentary Assembly brings together 626 members from the national parliaments of the 45 member states. The structure of the presidency comprises of President: Peter Schieder (Austria, SOC); Secretary General of the Assembly: Bruno Haller. Political Groups: SOC (Socialist Group); EPP/CD (Group of the European People's Party); LDR (Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group); EDG (European Democratic Group); UEL (Group of the Unified European Left).

Turkey has been a member of the Council of Europe since 1949, when it undertook to honour the obligations concerning pluralist democracy, the rule of law and human rights enshrined in the organisation’s founding statute.

The monitoring procedure as regards Turkey was begun in 1996, the only one applying to an existing Council of Europe member state. For other countries, the monitoring procedure has been opened at the time of their accession. (EK)