European Commissioner for
Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle met with Turkish
Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu in
Brussels today to continue the discussion they started at their first
meeting in Strasbourg last week.
Commissioner Füle and the EU
Minister discussed the comments on the draft laws communicated by the
European Commission with a view to supporting Turkey in respecting the
EU norms and practices in this field at the heart of the accession
process.
They also followed up on the
announcement by European Council President Van Rompuy and Prime Minister
Erdoğan yesterday that Turkey and the EU would consult closely on the
EU's continuing concerns regarding respect for the rule of law in
Turkey.
Commissioner Füle recalled that
draft legislation on the judiciary still needs to be brought in line
with European standards. He also reiterated the need to continue
investigations into corruption allegations to be conducted in full
independence and impartiality. Commissioner Füle took good note of the
assurances provided by Minister Çavuşoğlu that they would continue the
dialogue established to date to address these concerns and they agreed
to maintain their close contact on these issues of primary importance to
both Turkey and the EU.
They also discussed in more detail
the prospects for progress in the EU-Turkey relations in 2014 following
the recent opening of a new negotiating chapter and signature of the
readmission agreement, as well as the visa dialogue.
