FIFTH MEETING OF THE EU INTERNAL COORDINATION AND HARMONIZATION COMMITTEE

The fifth Meeting of the EU Internal Coordination and Harmonization Committee was held under the chairmanship of Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis at the Secretariat General for EU Affairs.

Reminding that the previous meeting was held on March 5th, Bagis expressed that there had been several improvements since then.

Bagis thanked the whole participants by declaring that Turkey progressed accordingly and decisively as a country that conducts the EU accession negotiation. Bagis stated that the main reason of this determination was to increase the life standards of Turkish people and added: "If Turkey achieved to celebrate the first of May, after 28 years, if Turkey can take the greatest steps of the last 30 years to change the constitution prepared after the military coup, this is the result of our determination that we have put forward with you all."

Minister Bagis said the followings on the constitutional amendment package:

"This package will be submitted to our people anyway. All the effort up to yesterday was a discussion of whether to ask the package to the people or not. As of now, TGNA decided that, following to constitution, we will ask the package to our people. Like in all the democratic countries, we will welcome and obey the decision of our people." Bagis added that there were very significant issues in the package about EU, such as ombudsman, the legal reform, and gender equality.

Summarizing the incidents that have happened since last meeting, Bagis said he went to Brussels with 200 women and he highlighted that "It was provided to touch motherly hand and care to the EU process of Turkey."

Minister Bagis announced that they would take a trip with bicycle from National Assembly Park to the Gençlik Park with the Minister of State that is responsible of sports Faruk Nafiz Ozak, the mayor of Ankara Melih Gokcek, Secretary General for EU Affairs Volkan Bozkır and the EU Ambassadors for the sake of the Europe Day in the 9th of May.

Source: AA