Honouring of obligations and commitments by Turkey

Recommendation 1662 (2004)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

Assembly debate on 22 June 2004 (18th Sitting) (see Doc. 10111, report of the Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee), co-rapporteurs: Ms Delvaux-Stehres and Mr Van den Brande). Text adopted by the Assembly on 22 June 2004 (19th Sitting).

Thesaurus

1. The Parliamentary Assembly considers that 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. Given the progress achieved since 2001, the Assembly is confident that the Turkish authorities will apply and consolidate the reforms in question, the implementation of which will require considerable changes to its legislation and regulations, extending beyond 2004. The Assembly therefore decides to close the monitoring procedure under way since 1996.

2. Referring to Resolution 1380 (2004) on honouring of obligations and commitments by Turkey, the Assembly considers that Turkey must continue to benefit from the Council of Europe’s assistance and co-operation programmes in order to complete and implement the reforms it has undertaken to strengthen a state governed by rule of law and respectful of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

3. The Assembly therefore recommends that the Committee of Ministers:

continue, in co-operation with the Turkish authorities, the training programmes for police officers, judges and prosecutors, and the prison system reform programmes;

continue to assist the authorities with their future constitutional reform projects;

continue to offer expert legal advice on draft legislation under preparation or planned, particularly on the Criminal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure, and legislation on associations, political parties, trade unions and decentralisation;

introduce a programme of assistance and co-operation aimed at fighting corruption;

prepare and implement an action plan for equality between women and men in Turkey, with particular emphasis on violence against women, in accordance with Committee of Ministers Recommendation Rec(2002)5 of 30 April 2002 on the protection of women against violence.