Turkey's EU Bid

Stories

13 Stories

April 2008
- Turkey Eases Controversial 'Insult' Statute
  
  Financial Times (UK) | Apr 30, 08 8:06 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Turkish parliament has approved changes to a notorious law that makes it a crime to "insult Turkishness," reports the Financial Times . Ankara legislators today amended the notorious Article 301, reducing the maximum sentence and requiring the justice minister to approve all prosecutions. But while nationalists are outraged, civil rights lawyers call the changes cosmetic at best. More »
- Court Could Outlaw Turkey's 'Islamist Government'
  
  Reuters | Apr 1, 08 3:35 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Turkey's top court has agreed to hear a case that could outlaw the nation's ruling party and bar its president and prime minister from politics, Reuters reports. The AK Party is accused of trying to undermine Turkey's secular constitution and establish an Iran-style Islamic state. The case pits Turkey's popularly elected government against the country's secular elite, including army generals. More »
March 2008
- Merkel Crushes Sarkozy's Plans for 'Club Med'
  
  Guardian (UK) | Mar 14, 08 11:59 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Nicolas Sarkozy has been forced to abandon his proposal for what detractors have called a French-led Club Med—a Mediterranean Union of southern European, Middle Eastern, and North African states—under fierce opposition from Germany. Angela Merkel has been a consistent opponent of the scheme, and she threatened a boycott of a Paris summit, says the Guardian . The incident is only the latest clash between Sarkozy and Merkel, signaling a low point in French-German relations. More »
February 2008
- Booze and Beats Don't Mix in Turkey
  
  Independent (UK) | Feb 28, 08 6:47 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Singer Aslizen Yentur thought it was a joke when Turkey's top music channel axed shots of a wine bottle-laden table from her video. It wasn't, and now Turkey's broadcasting watchdog is drafting a bill to make scenes that encourage drinking illegal—supposedly to align with EU norms, the Independent reports. But critics charge the government is really trying to steer Turkey toward religious populism. More »
- Turkish prez hopes 2008 is year of the bid
  
  New Anatolian | Feb 13, 08
  
  Turkish President Abdullah Gul said it is necessary to focus more on EU issue in 2008. Gul who visited Turkish Secretariat General for the EU (ABGS) in Ankara on Wednesday recalled that Turkey actually started membership negotiations with the EU in 2005.
- The financial side of the bid
  
  Reuters | Feb 11, 08
  
  Turkey's bid to join the European Union offers a bonanza for European business, but not for everyone. While German trade and investment are booming, French business is suffering a backlash over President Nicolas Sarkozy's hostility to Turkish membership of the bloc.
- Turkey's EU Bid 'Good For Investors'
  
  Homesworldwide.co.uk | Feb 3, 08
  
  Rhiannon Williamson, director of ShelterOffshore.com, said the government and most of the population were in favour of the country joining the international body.
January 2008
- Turkish PM plans talks with French, German leaders on EU bid
  
  AFP | Jan 10, 08
  
  Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday he would hold three-way talks with French and German leaders on Turkey's EU membership bid, which the two heavyweights of the bloc oppose. "The meeting will be held in Germany and the three of us will discuss together the process ahead of us," Erdogan told a press conference, without giving a date.
- Bush backs Turkey's EU bid
  
  UPI International | Jan 8, 08
  
  U.S. President George Bush on Tuesday expressed strong support for Turkey's bid to join the European Union following a meeting with his Turkish counterpart. Bush and Turkish President Abdullah Gul met in the Oval Office and then spoke with reporters.
December 2007
- Publisher Faces Prison for Book on Armenians
  
  Guardian (UK) | Dec 5, 07 11:03 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - A Turkish publisher goes on trial today in Istanbul for violating that country's controversial law against "insulting Turkishness." Ragip Zarakolu is accused of contravening the notorious Article 301 by publishing a book by a London-based author promoting reconciliation between Turks and Armenians. The trial of a relatively moderate publisher is further damaging Turkey's hopes of being invited to join the EU. More »
November 2007
- Turkey Listens to EU, Will Ease Up on Free Speech
  
  Associated Press | Nov 6, 07 7:07 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Readying itself for possible EU membership, Turkey's government will soften a law that curbs free speech, the AP reports. An amendment expected to pass parliament will limit penalties for Article 301, which punishes "insulting Turkey or Turkish identity" with up to three years in prison. The announcement came hours after the EU annual report again criticized the law. More »
July 2007
- Turkish Elections Boost PM
  
  Reuters | Jul 22, 07 6:00 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Turkey’s ruling party dominated parliamentary elections today despite its perceived threat to the nation’s entrenched secularism. The elections were moved up after the secular opposition foiled PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan's attempt to install an ex-Islamist ally as president. The results, seen as a mandate for the AKP, also raise the risk of increased conflict, Reuters reports. More »
June 2007
- Sarkozy Says 'Non' to Turkey's Euro Hopes
  
  Financial Times (UK) | Jun 13, 07 5:11 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - France is threatening to block Turkey's full membership in the European Union this month and hopes to push the nation into a "privileged partnership" short of complete participation, the Financial Times reports. It's the first time new French President Nicolas Sarkozy will flex his political muscle in an EU controversy. More »