REFORMS ARE IMPORTANT IN THE ELECTION FREE 2010

Speaking on the EU process at the meeting held in Kultur University, Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis said that they intended to continue the reforms and adopt reform laws in 2010 which would be an election free year.

Stating that a difficult year in the EU accession process had passed, Bagis said Turkey, in spite of the problems, had accomplished to convince 27 EU Member States to open Taxation Chapter to negotiations.

Stating that Sweden took over the presidency of the EU in the second half of the previous year, Bagis said a chapter equivalent to 4 or 5 chapters was opened in the meantime and added: "The steps we took regarding the Environment Chapter will raise Turkey's standards. We approved the rule that the air we breathe and the balance of nature should be used consciously. We put them in the agenda and banned the use of diesel fuel in city centres."

Indicating that the steps Turkey would take until the year 2013 was written in the national program published in the Official Journal on the 1st of January 2009, Bagis informed about the works carried out by President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and by him as the Minister.

Bagis continued: "TRT-Ses has started broadcasting, ‘Women-Men Equal Opportunities Commission' has been founded in Turkish Great National Assembly, the citizenship of Nazim Hikmet has been restituted, Judicial Strategy and Action Plan' is being prepared and under the framework of ‘Southeastern Anatolian Action Plan' 500 million Euros fund has been allocated to the region." Bagis added that amendments in the penal code would pave the way for the members of Turkish General Staff to be tried by civilian courts.

Bagis stated that TRT had signed an agreement with Euronews and become a shareholder of it. Bagis declared that Euronews in Turkish would begin broadcasting on January, 29, with a ceremony.

Bagis underlined the importance of dialogue with the civil society in the EU process and he stated that people from different circles had discussed the EU, in the meeting which was the first in this process and which had received the participation of more than 600 non-governmental organisations.

Egemen Bagis asserted that they wanted to focus on the reforms during 2010 and he said: "there is no election in 2010 and we want to pass the reform laws in cooperation with the opposition parties".

Bagis mentioned the Cyprus issue and stated that direct trade should begin with the Northern Cyprus and direct trade did not mean to ‘recognize' a state.

Source: AA