Olli Rehn concerned in prosecution case of AKP in Turkey

Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn has condemned the latest developments in Turkey regarding the prosecution case against the AKP

“I take note of the decision of the

“The concerns I expressed on this matter on Saturday remain valid: In EU Member States the kind of political issues referred to in this case are debated in the parliament and decided through the ballot box, not in court rooms.

“In particular, the prohibition or dissolution of political parties is a far-reaching measure which should be used with the utmost restraint. According to the guidelines of the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission on best practice for European democracies, such a measure may only be justified in the case of parties which advocate the use of violence or use violence as a political means to overthrow the democratic constitutional order. I do not see any such justification for this case. The Commission has long stressed the need for Turkey to reform its law on political parties, including the financing of political parties.

“This case has revealed a systemic error in the Turkish Constitutional framework that may need to be addressed through a Constitutional amendment. I welcome the government’s intention to conduct an overhaul of the provisions that are causing problems for Turkey’s democracy.

“There is much at stake in the handling of this issue. Turkey’s European perspective was the vision of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. I fully support Turkey’s long-term interest to play its full role as a vital European democracy.

“Turkey needs to devote all its energies to undertaking long-awaited reforms that will benefit the Turkish people and advance Turkey‘s integration into the EU. This case should not distract attention from those reforms,” Rehn concluded.

He will be informing his colleagues in the College of Commissioners about this matter on Wednesday.