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Progress towards accession continues along the path set by the National Program revised in 2003. The most pressing aim here is the opening of accession negotiations, which depends on the fulfillment of the Copenhagen political criteria. Within the past three years, Turkey took a number of important steps towards this end. The most important among these is the major review of the Constitution. Thirty-four Articles of the Turkish Constitution have been amended in 2001 and many of these amendments actually coincide with the provisions of our National Program. The package of constitutional amendments covers a wide range of issues, such as improving human rights, strengthening the rule of law and restructuring of democratic institutions. This was only the initial step of the deep political reform process that Turkey has initiated, which was soon followed by complementary legislative and administrative measures to ensure their implementation. After the constitutional amendments, the Turkish Parliament adopted a new Civil Code, which entered into force on 1 January 2002 and introduced improvements notably as regards the freedom of association and the right to assembly, as well as gender equality and child protection. The efforts for reform were pursued by three legislative packages. The first legislative package adopted in February 2002, amended various legislation, which was often referred to and criticized as being the legal basis for the detention and sentencing of many intellectuals for expressing their views. The second legislative package, which entered into force in April 2002, extended further the scope of the freedom of thought and speech, the freedom of the press, the freedom of association and peaceful assembly. It reinforced measures for the prevention of torture and ill-treatment. It introduced an effective deterrent against human rights violations by public personnel. It also consolidated civil administration. The third legislative package, which entered into force in August 2002, was considered as a landmark in itself. Abolishing the death penalty, lifting legal restrictions on individual cultural rights, making retrial possible in the light of the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights, reinforcing legal guarantees on freedoms of expression and press, easing restrictions on the right to association and peaceful assembly, ensuring the right to property of community foundations belonging to the minorities in Turkey, providing the legal basis needed for the activities of foreign foundations in Turkey, introducing new definitions and measures to deal with illegal immigration altogether mark a radical break with the mentality of the past two decades which was largely shaped by the fight against separatist terror. The new government, which was formed after the general elections of 3 November 2002, prepared two further legislative packages. The first legislative package, the so-called "Copenhagen Package", was submitted to the Parliament on 3 December 2002. It was drafted with due regard to the evaluation made in the 2002 Regular Report on Turkey. The purpose of this package is to reinforce the reform process and eliminate certain ambiguities, especially with respect to implementation. With the adoption of this package, all legal impediments for the prosecution of public officials who allegedly resort to torture and ill-treatment will be removed. In fact, the Turkish Government has offically declared "zero tolerance" against torture and ill-treatment and alerted all public officials accordingly. The second package of reforms was submitted to the Parliament on 4 December. This package includes the expansion of the scope of retrial arrangements on the basis of judgments rendered by the European Court of Human Rights. The principle of retrial was already introduced by the reform package adopted on August 3, 2002. The new arrangement would expand its scope by making it applicable to cases already finalized by the European Court of Human Rights. The package also provides for the revocation of disciplinary actions taken against university students since 2001. On the economic front, numerous reform measures were equally adopted, in line with the National Program and in response to the serious economic crisis that Turkey went through in 2002. In terms of the economic criteria, Turkey has restructured its financial sector, ensured transparency in public finance, and is enhancing the competitiveness and efficiency of its economy. The structural reforms have already started to yield tangible results and considerable progress has been made in meeting the priorities set in the National Program. Work on the harmonization of Turkish legislation with the acquis also continues unabated. Turkey's alignment with the acquis communautaire have been analysed and developed since 2000 by eight subcommittees. Laeken and Seville European Council Decisions The Laeken European Council of 14-15 December 2001 had important implications for EU-Turkey relations in general and the accession process in particular. Foremost among these is the possibility of opening accession negotiations with Turkey, which for the first time has been explicitly mentioned at the highest levels. Another important decision taken at Laeken was that, Turkey began to take part in the Convention on the Future of Europe on an equal basis with the other candidates. This was considered as a progressive step, in the sense that Turkey was considered as part of the Union's common future. The Seville European Council of 21-22 June 2002 welcomed the reforms adopted in Turkey and stated that "the implementation of the required political and economic reforms will bring forward Turkey's prospects of accession in accordance with the same principles and criteria as are applied to the other candidate countries". It was also mentioned that new decisions could be taken in the Copenhagen European Council in December 2002 on the next stage of Turkey's candidacy in the light of the developments in the situation between Seville and Copenhagen European Councils, and on the basis of the regular report to be submitted by the Commission in October 2002.The 2002 Regular Report and Strategy Paper
In 2002 the European Commission prepared its fifth annual Progress Report for candidate countries. As all other progress reports, the 2002 Progress Report for Turkey was published on 9 October 2002 along with the Strategy Paper introducing proposals on methods to be applied in the future, within the framework of the enlargement process. In various sections of both texts, the political reforms realized are characterized by a fundamental step towards meeting the Copenhagen criteria. The issues concerning our alignment with the economic criteria and the acquis communautaire are also treated in a generally satisfactory manner. Nevertheless, the 2002 Regular Report concluded that Turkey had not yet fully met the political criteria, that there were deficiencies in implementation and that further progress needs to be recorded in all areas. Copenhagen European Council At the Copenhagen European Council of 12-13 December 2002, the EU took decisions of historic significance concerning its next enlargement. It was decided that ten candidate countries (Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, "Cyprus", Slovenia, Slovakia) would be members of the EU as of 1 May 2004. Concerning Bulgaria and Romania, the European Council reaffirmed the objective to welcome these two states as members in 2007. As regards Turkey, The Copenhagen European Council decided that "if the European Council in December 2004, on the basis of a report and a re-commendation from the Commission, decides that Turkey fulfils the Copenhagen political criteria, the EU will open negotiations without delay." In order to assist Turkey towards EU membership and in accordance with the Commission's recommendations in the 2002 Strategy Paper, it was also decided in Copenhagen that: the accession strategy for Turkey would be strengthened; the process of legislative scrutiny would be intensified; the Customs Union would be extended and deepened, and the Union would significantly increase its pre-accession financial assistance for Turkey (up to a total of 1,050 million Euros for the 2003-2006 period). The decisions taken at the Copenhagen European Council fell short of Turkey's expectations but were nevertheless perceived as the basis of a new stage in the relations with the EU. Turkey's efforts towards alignment with the economic criteria and the EU Acquis will be pursued as before. The country is determined to finalize pending legislative measures and intensify its efforts towards the implementation of the reforms adopted in the context of the political criteria. Turkey regards compliance with the political criteria for the attainment of EU standards as a continuous goal to be pursued after membership. The objective is to secure a favorable opinion from the Commission in its 2004 Regular Report that Turkey has fulfilled the Copen-hagen political criteria and that accession negotiations can start in 2005. Turkish Humour The EU Entrance Examination Verheugen makes a proposal to the ministers present at a EU Council meeting:- "Dear Ministers, what would you say, if we ask one question to each of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the candidate countries i.e. Romania, Bul-garia, and Turkey, and accept the countries which has answered correctly?" The proposal is accepted and Verhaugen asks his first question to the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs:- "Dear Minister, can you please tell us, in which year the Americans used the first atomic bomb?"- "In 1945" Romania gets accepted with applauses and the second question goes to the Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs:
- "Dear Minister, can you please tell us, where the first atomic bomb was used?" - "In Hiroshima " Bulgaria gets accepted with applauses and the third question goes to the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs: - "Can you please tell us, how many people died at Hiroshima and give their names and addresses?"