The report could be seen as a credit given to the government against the backdrop of military interventions, a closure case and the global economic crisis.

There are, of course, surprises and popular and unpopular political figures in the report, but overall it is a document that is digestable for Turkey and for those EU members who are against Turkey's possible membership. One of the good surprises for Sunday's Zaman was the last-minute reference to the media accreditation problem.

Despite the reference to the problem in the last year’s report and Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn’s confirmation that they would follow up on the issue, the first draft did not mention it. But in the published report, the commission referred to the problem: “The Turkish Armed Forces [TSK] still deny access to military receptions and briefings to some journalists and media organizations.”

The report also referred to the heated debate between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Doğan Media Group, which owns a significant number of newspapers, journals and television stations in Turkey, in the following paragraph: “Furthermore, there have been statements by senior figures strongly criticizing the press, in particular following press reports on alleged corruption cases and the fight against terrorism.”

While the report praises President Abdullah Gül for his role in domestic and foreign policy in more than several parts of the document and strategy paper, the government, the military, the judiciary and the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) are all criticized for different reasons. Rehn used his opportunity on a number of occasions to call on Turkish political actors to find a basis for compromise and end the simmering political antagonisms. The strong appraisal of Gül gives the impression that the EU has been pointing to the president as the political leader who can unite the Turkish people.

The court case against the Ergenekon gang is in the report, but the reference and the emphasis seems weak compared with the European Parliament’s report on Turkey. The EP report prepared by the Dutch Christian Democrat Ria Oomen-Ruijten called on Turkish authorities to continue until the end in the Ergenekon investigation.

Consistent with Rehn’s strong stance against the military memorandum of April 27 and the closure case against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), the report welcomes the decision of the Constitutional Court not to ban the governing party.

“The year was marked by strong political tensions,” the report read. “A chief state prosecutor applied to the Constitutional Court to close the governing party for anti-secular activities. The Court eventually decided not to follow the request of the prosecutor and imposed instead a financial penalty. This helped to avert a serious political crisis and should provide fresh opportunities to restore dialogue and a spirit of compromise between political parties.”

Another new aspect of the report is its strong emphasis on the increasing strategic significance of Turkey for the European Union. It is the first time that EU has referred to Turkey as a strong stabilizer within the region, implying that Turkey has become a regional power. The report praises the foreign policy orchestrated by Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Babacan.

“Turkey’s strategic importance to the EU has further increased in key areas such as energy security, conflict prevention and resolution and regional security in the Southern Caucasus and the Middle East. The country’s engagement with the EU, through the negotiations and related reforms which are underway, makes it a stronger force for stability in a region facing many challenges. … Turkey’s geo-strategic position gives the country a vital role in the EU’s energy security, particularly diversification of energy sources,” the report states.

Criticism leveled against the AK Party and the judiciary was particularly strong this year. The governing party is criticized for the lack of a real reform agenda against the huge mandate it received from Turks on July 22, 2007. “However, despite its strong political mandate, the government did not put forward a consistent and comprehensive program of political reforms,” the document read. Though welcomed, amendments to Turkish Penal Code (TCK) 301 and the Law on Foundations are not enough, the report states.

Judiciary harshly criticized

Referring to the court cases against the AK Party and the Democratic Society Party (DTP) and the Şemdinli case, Brussels roundly criticized the judiciary and its high-level authorities. The EU for the first time has lambasted the upper echelons of the judiciary as it has been doing with the military.

“Concerns remain about the impartiality of the judiciary,” the report states. “On some occasions, senior members of the judiciary made public political comments which may compromise their impartiality in future cases. Concerns remain about the impartiality of the judiciary. On occasions, senior members of the judiciary or high courts made public comments which sparked a debate in the country that the judiciary was going beyond its remit and taking positions on political issues.” On the sacking of Van prosecutor Ferhat Sarıkaya, the report said the punishment was disproportional.

Headscarf is still not on the radar

Despite the commission’s detailed analysis of religious freedom for all sorts of minorities in Turkey, the report turned a blind eye to the headscarf problem. There is no mention of the headscarf issue except a reference to the verdict of the Constitutional Court that upheld the ban at the universities. The commission authorities argue that they can not refer to the problem as there is no uniform stance among member-states about the issue.

TODAYSZAMAN