The candidates for EU membership, as well as applicants, must continue reforms in such fields as legislation, freedom of speech, treatment of ethnic minorities, corruption and organized crime control, says a resolution adopted by the Foreign Affairs Committee, European Parliament. The resolution has been put to the November 26 vote. The European Parliament reaffirmed its commitment to the EU expansion policy.

As regards legal norms, the European Parliament welcomes the dynamics in the region though some of the countries still face such problems as corruption and organized crime. By “freedom of speech” the European Parliament understands freedom of the press and independence of regulatory bodies. This particularly concerns Turkey and the West Balkan states.

The resolution indicates the necessary for immediate legislative reforms in Turkey for the improvement of state and society. The European Parliament regrets the slow progress in religious freedom (Alevi and non-Islamic religions) and in freedom of speech (unprecedented fines imposed on media groups). The European Parliament is also critical of Turkey for failing to fulfill its commitments under the protocol to the Turkey-EU association agreement.

The European Parliament urges Turkey to sign the agreement in the context of the Nabucco project and calls for the opening of an “energy chapter” in the negotiations for the accession to the agreement. The European Parliament stresses the importance of diplomatic efforts to normalize the Armenian-Turkish relations. The resolution urges the Armenian and Turkish Parliaments to ratify the Armenian-Turkish protocols.