Proposal for a Council Decision on the principles, priorities and conditions contained in the Accession Partnership with Turkey and repealing Decision 2006/35/EC
Date: 2007-11-06
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Türkiye, accession criteria, accession to the European Union, association agreement (EU), cooperation policy, enlargement of the Union

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 6.11.2007 
COM(2007) 661 final 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL DECISION 

on the principles, priorities and conditions contained in the Accession Partnership with 
Turkey and repealing Decision 2006/35/EC 

(presented by the Commission) 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
 
  
EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

On  23  February  2006  the  Council  adopted  the  revised  Accession  Partnership  for  Turkey, 
based on the Commission's proposal presented on 9 November 2005. The partnerships contain 
short–term and medium–term priorities. Therefore the Commission considers it appropriate to 
present a proposal for an updated Accession Partnership for Turkey. 

This  fourth  Accession  Partnership  with  Turkey  is  based  on  the  provisions  of  Council 
Regulation  (EC)  No  390/2001  which  provides  that  the  Council  is  to  decide,  by  a  qualified 
majority  and  following  a  proposal  from  the  Commission,  on  the  principles,  priorities, 
intermediate  objectives  and  conditions  contained  in  the  Accession  Partnership,  as  it  will  be 
submitted to Turkey, as well as on subsequent significant adjustments applicable to it.  

In order to respond to the Accession Partnership, the competent authorities in Turkey should 
develop a plan with a timetable and specified measures Turkey intends to take to this end. The 
Commission will monitor progress in implementing the priorities regularly. 

The Accession Partnership priorities form the basis for programming the financial assistance 
of the Community, which will continue to be provided under relevant financial instruments, in 
particular Council Regulation (EC) No 1085/2006 of 17 July 2006 establishing the Instrument 
for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA). 

The  proposed  Council  Decision  has  no  financial  implications.  In  view  of  the  above,  the 
Commission invites the Council to adopt the attached proposal for a Council Decision. 

EN 

2 

   EN 

 
Proposal for a 

COUNCIL DECISION 

on the principles, priorities and conditions contained in the Accession Partnership with 
Turkey and repealing Decision 2006/35/EC 

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, 

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 390/2001 of 26 February 2001 on assistance to 
Turkey in the framework of the pre-accession strategy, and in particular on the establishment 
of an Accession Partnership1 in particular Article 2 thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

1 
2 

3 

Regulation  (EC)  No  390/2001  provides  that  the  Council  is  to  decide,  by  a  qualified 
majority and following a proposal from the Commission, on the principles, priorities, 
intermediate  objectives  and  conditions  contained  in  the  Accession  Partnership,  as  it 
will  be  submitted  to  Turkey,  as  well  as  on  subsequent  significant  adjustments 
applicable to it.  

On that basis the Council adopted an Accession Partnership with Turkey in 2001 and 
20032.  

The Commission's 2004 recommendation on Turkey stressed that the European Union 
should  continue  the  monitoring  of  the  political  reform  process  and  that  a  revised 
Accession  Partnership  should  be  proposed  in  2005.  Following  that,  the  Council 
adopted a revised partnership in February 20063. 

In  December  2004  the  European  Council  concluded  that  the  European  Union  will 
continue  to  monitor  closely  progress  of  the  political  reforms  on  the  basis  of  an 
Accession Partnership setting out priorities for the reform process. 

On  3  October  2005  the  Member  States  started  negotiations  with  Turkey  on  its 
accession to the European Union. The advancement of the negotiations will be guided 
by  Turkey's  progress  in  preparing  for  accession,  which  will  be  measured,  inter  alia, 
against the implementation of the Accession Partnership, as regularly revised. 

OJ L 58, 28.2.2001, p. 1. 
Decision 2001/235/EC (OJ L 85, 24.3.2001, p. 13) and Decision 2003/398/EC (OJ L 145, 12.6.2003, p. 
40). 
Decision 2006/35/EC (OJ L 22, 26.1.2006, p. 34–50). 

EN 

3 

   EN 

 
                                                 
(6) 

(7) 

(8) 

The  Commission's  Paper  on  enlargement  strategy  and  main  challenges  2006–2007 
indicated that the partnerships would be updated at the end of 2007. 

On 12 June 2006 the Council adopted Regulation (EC) No 1085/2006 establishing an 
instrument  for  pre-accession  assistance  (IPA)4,  which  sets  out  a  new  framework  for 
financial assistance to pre-accession countries. 

It is therefore appropriate to adopt a revised Accession Partnership which updates the 
current partnership in order to identify renewed priorities for further work on the basis 
of  the  findings  of  the  2007  Progress  Report  on  Turkey’s  preparations  for  further 
integration with the European Union. 

(9) 

In  order  to  prepare  for  membership,  Turkey  is  expected  to  develop  a  plan  with  a 
timetable and specific measures to address the priorities of this Accession Partnership. 

(10)  Decision 2006/35/EC should be repealed. 

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: 

Article 1 

The principles, priorities, intermediate objectives and conditions in the Accession Partnership 
for Turkey are set out in the Annex. 

Article 2 

The  implementation  of  the  Accession  Partnership  shall  be  examined  and  monitored  in  the 
bodies established under the Association Agreement and by the Council on the basis of annual 
reports by the Commission. 

Decision 2006/35/EC shall be repealed. 

Article 3 

Article 4 

This  Decision  shall  take  effect  on  the  third  day  following  its  publication  in  the  Official 
Journal of the European Union. 

Done at Brussels, 

For the Council 
The President 

4 

OJ L 210, 31.7.2006, p. 82. 

EN 

4 

   EN 

 
 
 
                                                 
ANNEX: TURKEY 2007 ACCESSION PARTNERSHIP 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

At  its  meeting  in  Luxembourg  in  December  1997,  the  European  Council  decided  that  the 
Accession  Partnership  would  be  the  key  feature  of  the  enhanced  pre-accession  strategy, 
mobilizing all forms of assistance to the candidate countries within a single framework. In this 
manner, the Community targets its assistance towards the specific needs of each candidate so 
as to provide support for overcoming particular problems with a view to accession. 

The first Accession Partnership for Turkey was adopted by the Council in March 2001. In the 
Commission's  Strategy  Paper  on  enlargement  of  October  2002,  it  was  stated  that  the 
Commission would propose a revised Accession Partnership for Turkey. A revised Accession 
Partnership  was  then  presented  by  the  Commission  in  March  2003  and  adopted  by  the 
Council  in  May  of  the  same  year.  In  its  recommendation  of  October  2004  the  Commission 
proposed  that,  with  a  view  to  guaranteeing  the  sustainability  and  the  irreversibility  of  the 
political reform process, the EU should continue to monitor closely progress of the political 
reforms.  In  particular,  the  Commission  proposed  the  adoption  of  a  revised  Accession 
Partnership in 2005. Following the expected progress in the implementation of the short term 
priorities  of  the  Partnerships,  it  is  practice  to  update  the  partnerships  every  other  year. 
Therefore, the Commission proposes to renew the Accession Partnership.  

Turkey is expected to develop a plan including a timetable and specific measures intended to 
address the Accession Partnership priorities. 

The  revised  Accession  Partnership  provides  the  basis  for  a  number  of  policy  /financial 
instruments  which  will  be  used  to  help  Turkey  in  the  preparations  for  membership.  In 
particular, the revised Accession Partnership will serve as a basis for future political reforms 
and as a yardstick against which to measure future progress. 

2. 

PRINCIPLES 

The main priorities identified for Turkey relate to its capacity to meet the criteria defined by 
the  Copenhagen  European  Council  of  1993  and  the  requirements  of  the  negotiating 
framework adopted by the Council on 3 October 2005. 

3. 

PRIORITIES 

The  priorities  listed  in  this  Accession  Partnership  have  been  selected  on  the  basis  that  it  is 
realistic to expect that the country can complete them or take them substantially forward over 
the next few years. A distinction is made between short-term priorities, which are expected to 
be accomplished within one to two years, and medium-term priorities, which are expected to 
be  accomplished  within  three  to  four  years.  The  priorities  concern  both  legislation  and  the 
implementation thereof. 

EN 

5 

   EN 

 
The  revised  Accession  Partnership  indicates  the  priority  areas  for  Turkey’s  membership 
preparations. Turkey will nevertheless, ultimately have to address all the issues identified in 
the progress reports, including consolidating the political reform process in order to guarantee 
its  irreversibility  and  ensure  its  uniform  implementation  throughout  the  country  and  at  all 
levels  of  the  administration.  It  is  also  important  that  Turkey  fulfils  the  commitments  of 
legislative  approximation  and  implementation  of  the  acquis  in  accordance  with  the 
commitments made under the Association Agreement, Customs Union and related decisions 
of  the  EC-Turkey  Association  Council,  for  example  on  the  trade  regime  for  agricultural 
products. 

3.1. 

Short-Term Priorities 

Political dialogue 

Democracy and the rule of law 

Public administration 

–  Pursue  reform  of  public  administration  and  personnel  policy  in  order  to  ensure  greater 

efficiency, accountability and transparency. 

–  Strengthen local administrations by reforming the central administration, devolving powers 

to local administrations and providing them with adequate resources. 

–  Adopt  and  implement  legislation  aimed  at  establishing  a  fully  operational  Ombudsman 

system. 

Civilian oversight of the security forces  

–  Continue to align civilian control of the military in line with the practice in EU Member 
States.  Ensure  that  the  military  does  not  intervene  in  political  issues  and  that  civilian 
authorities fully exercise supervisory functions on security matters. 

–  Take steps towards bringing about greater accountability and transparency in the conduct 

of security affairs. 

–  Establish  full  parliamentary  oversight  of  military  and  defence  policy  and  all  related 

expenditure, including by external audit. 

–  Limit the jurisdiction of military courts solely to military duties of military personnel. 

Judicial system 

–  Strengthen efforts, including through training, to ensure that interpretation by the judiciary 
of  legislation  related  to  human  rights  and  fundamental  freedoms  is  in  line  with  the 
European Convention on Human Rights, with the case-law of the ECtHR, and with Article 
90 of the Turkish Constitution. 

–  Ensure  the  independence  of  the  judiciary  from  other  state  institutions  in  particular  as 
regards  the  High  Council  of  Judges  and  Prosecutors  and  the  inspection  system.  More 
specifically,  ensure  that  the  High  Council  of  Judges  and  Prosecutors  represents  the 
judiciary as a whole. 

EN 

6 

   EN 

 
–  Strengthen the efficiency of the judiciary through, in particular, reinforcing its institutional 

capacity and adopting a new Code of civil procedure. 

–  Proceed with the establishment of regional intermediate courts of appeal. 

Anti-corruption policy 

–  Develop  a  comprehensive  anti-corruption  strategy  and  a  central  body  to  oversee  and 

monitor its implementation. Improve coordination between all institutions involved. 

–  Ensure  implementation  of  the  Regulation  on  Principles  of  Ethical  Behaviour  for  Civil 
Servants  and  extend  its  provisions  to  elected  officials,  judiciary,  academics  and  military 
personnel. 

–  Limit the immunities granted to politicians and public officials in line with European best 
practices and improve legislation on transparency in political party and election campaign 
financing. 

Human rights and the protection of minorities 

Observance of international human rights law 

–  Ratify the optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture which provides for the 

establishment of a system of independent monitoring of detention facilities. 

European Court of Human Rights 

–  Comply  with  the  European  Convention  for  the  Protection  of  Human  Rights  and 
Fundamental Freedoms, and ensure full execution of the judgments of the European Court 
of Human Rights. 

–  Amend  the  criminal  procedure  Code  so  as  to  enforce  the  right  to  retrial  in  line  with  the 

relevant judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. 

Promotion and enforcement of human rights 

–  Establish  an  independent,  adequately  resourced  national  human  rights  institution  in 

accordance with relevant UN principles. 

–  Continue  the  training  of  law  enforcement  agencies  on  human  rights  issues  and 

investigation techniques. 

Civil and political rights 

Prevention of torture and ill-treatment 

–  Ensure  implementation  of  the  measures  adopted  in  the  context  of  the  "zero  tolerance" 
policy towards torture and ill-treatment in line with the European Convention on Human 
Rights and the recommendations of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture. 

–  Ensure  implementation  of  the  Istanbul  Protocol  throughout  the  country,  in  particular  by 

increasing medical expertise. 

EN 

7 

   EN 

 
–  Intensify the fight against impunity. Ensure that prosecutors conduct timely and effective 
investigations of alleged cases, leading to identification and punishment of perpetrators by 
the courts. 

Access to justice 

–  Strengthen efforts to ensure adequate legal aid and qualified interpretation services. 

Freedom of expression  

–  Revise legislation on freedom of  expression, including freedom of the press, in line with 
the European Convention on Human Rights and with the case law of the European Court 
of Human Rights. 

–  Remedy the situation of those persons prosecuted or sentenced for non-violent expression 

of opinion. 

Freedom of assembly and association 

–  Continue  implementation  of  all  reforms  concerning  freedom  of  association  and  peaceful 
assembly in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and its 
related  case  law.  Implement  measures  to  prevent  the  excessive  use  of  force  by  security 
forces. 

–  Align with best practices in EU Member States as regards legislation on political parties. 

Civil society organisations 

–  Further  strengthen  the  domestic  development  of  civil  society  and  its  involvement  in  the 

shaping of public policies. 

–  Facilitate  and  encourage  open  communication  and  cooperation  between  all  sectors  of 

Turkish civil society and European partners. 

Freedom of religion 

–  Revise legislation on foundations in line with the ECHR and the case-law of the ECtHR. 

–  Ensure that non-Muslim religious communities can acquire legal personality and exercise 

their rights. 

–  Ensure the possibility of higher religious education for non-Muslim  minorities, including 

the training of their clergy. 

–  Ensure equal treatment of Turkish and foreign nationals as regards their ability to exercise 
the  right  to  freedom  of  religion  through  participation  in  the  life  of  organised  religious 
communities. 

–  Adopt legislation to prevent repeated prosecutions and convictions of those who refuse to 

perform military service for conscientious or religious reasons. 

EN 

8 

   EN 

 
Economic and social rights 

Women's rights 

–  Pursue measures to implement current legislation relating to women's rights and against all 
forms  of  violence  against  women,  including  crimes  committed  in  the  name  of  honour. 
Ensure  specialised  training  for  judges  and  prosecutors,  law  enforcement  agencies, 
municipalities and other responsible institutions and establish shelters for women at risk of 
violence in all larger municipalities, in line with current legislation. 

–  Further increase the awareness of the general public, and of men in particular, concerning 
gender issues, and promote the role of women in society, including through their education 
and  participation  in  the  labour  market  and  in  political  and  social  life;  support  the 
development of women’s organisations to fulfil these goals. 

Children's rights 

–  Ensure the full implementation of the Law on Child Protection and promote protection of 

children’s rights in line with EU and international standards. 

–  Continue efforts to tackle the problem of child labour and improve the situation of street 

children. 

Labour rights and trade unions 

–  Ensure that full trade union rights are respected in line with EU standards and the relevant 
ILO Conventions, in particular as regards the right to organise, the right to strike and the 
right to bargain collectively. 

–  Further reinforce social dialogue, facilitate and encourage cooperation with EU partners. 

Anti-discrimination policies 

–  Guarantee  in  law  and  in  practice  the  full  enjoyment  of  human  rights  and  fundamental 
freedoms by all individuals, without discrimination and irrespective of language, political 
opinion, sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. 

–  Strengthen  efforts  to  revise  curricula  and  textbooks  so  that  discriminatory  language  is 

eliminated. 

Minority rights, cultural rights and protection of minorities 

–  Ensure  cultural  diversity  and  promote  respect  for  and  protection  of  minorities  in 
accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights and the principles laid down 
in  the  Framework  Convention  for  the  Protection  of  National  Minorities  and  in  line  with 
best practice in Member States. 

–  Guarantee legal protection of minorities, in particular as regards the peaceful enjoyment of 
possessions, in line with Protocol No 1 to the European Convention on Human Rights. 

Cultural rights 

–  Improve effective access to radio and TV broadcasting in languages other than Turkish, in 

particular by removing remaining legal restrictions. 

EN 

9 

   EN 

 
–  Adopt appropriate measures to support the teaching of languages other than Turkish. 

Situation in the East and Southeast 

–  Develop  a  comprehensive  approach  to  reducing  regional  disparities,  and  in  particular  to 
improving  the  situation  in  southeast  Turkey,  with  a  view  to  enhancing  economic,  social 
and cultural opportunities for all Turkish citizens, including those of Kurdish origin. 

–  Abolish the village guard system in the Southeast. 

–  Clear the area of landmines. 

Internally displaced persons 

–  Pursue  measures  to  facilitate  the  return  of  internally  displaced  persons  to  their  original 
settlements  in  line  with  the  recommendations  of  the  UN  Secretary-General’s  Special 
Representative for Displaced Persons. 

–  Continue implementation of the law on the compensation of losses due to terrorism and the 

fight against terrorism. Ensure fair and prompt compensation of victims. 

Regional issues and international obligations 

Cyprus 

–  Ensure  continued  support  for  efforts  to  find  a  comprehensive  settlement  of  the  Cyprus 
problem  within  the  UN  framework  and  in  line  with  the  principles  on  which  the  EU  is 
founded, whilst contributing to a better climate for a comprehensive settlement. 

–  Implement fully the Protocol adapting the Ankara Agreement to the accession of the new 
EU  Member  States,  including  removal  of  all  existing  restrictions  on  Cyprus-flagged 
vessels and vessels serving the Cyprus trade5. 

–  Take concrete steps for the normalisation of bilateral relations between Turkey and all EU 

Member States, including the Republic of Cyprus, as soon as possible6. 

Peaceful settlement of border disputes 

–  Continue  the  efforts  to  resolve  any  outstanding  border  disputes  in  conformity  with  the 
principle of peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with the UN Charter including, if 
necessary, jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice. 

–  Unequivocally commit to good neighbourly relations; address any sources of friction with 
neighbours;  and  refrain  from  any  action  which  could  adversely  affect  the  process  of 
peaceful settlement of border disputes. 

Economic criteria 

–  Continue  to  implement  appropriate  fiscal  and  monetary  policies  with  a  view  to  taking 
adequate  measures  to  preserve  macroeconomic  stability  and  predictability.  Implement  a 
sustainable and effective social security system. 

5 
6 

See also the declaration by the European Community and its Member States of 21 September 2005. 
See also the declaration by the European Community and its Member States of 21 September 2005. 

EN 

10 

   EN 

 
                                                 
–  Further  strengthen  economic  policy  co-ordination  across  different  institutions  and  policy 
areas in order to provide a consistent and sustainable economic policy framework for the 
economy. 

–  Continue privatisation of state-owned enterprises. 

–  Continue with market liberalisation, and price reforms, in particular in the areas of energy 

and agriculture. 

–  Address  labour  market  imbalances.  To  this  end,  improve  incentive  structures  and 
flexibility in the labour market to increase the participation and employment rates; improve 
education and professional training efforts, thereby encouraging the shift from agriculture 
to a service-based economy. 

–  Improve  the  business  climate.  To  this  end,  improve  the  functioning  of  the  commercial 
judiciary  and  safeguard  the  independence  of  market  regulatory  authorities;  improve 
bankruptcy procedures to address impediments to market exit.  

–  Identify and implement means to address the informal economy. 

Ability to assume the obligations of membership 

Chapter 1: Free movement of goods 

–  Abolish import permits  or licence  requirements, as well as disproportionate requirements 

for certificates in respect of products other than used motor vehicles. 

–  Submit to the Commission a plan for abolishing import permits on used motor vehicles. 

–  Complete  the  identification  of  measures  contrary  to  Articles  28  to  30  of  the  EC  Treaty, 
draw  up  a  plan  for  their  removal  and  introduce  the  mutual  recognition  clause  into  the 
Turkish legal order. 

–  Address the remaining issue on regulatory data protection for pharmaceutical products. 

Chapter 3: Right of establishment and freedom to provide services 

–  Present a detailed strategy which should include a timetable of all necessary steps in terms 
of  legislative  alignment  and  institutional  capacity  in  order  to  comply  with  the  acquis 
covered by this chapter. 

–  Continue  alignment  with  the  acquis  for  the  mutual  recognition  of  professional 
qualifications,  in  particular  by  providing  for  a  procedure  for  professional  recognition 
distinct from academic recognition and by adopting the minimum training requirements set 
out in directive 2005/36/EC. 

–  Begin alignment with the acquis on postal services. 

Chapter 4: Free movement of capital 

–  Continue  to  remove  restrictions  affecting  foreign  direct  investments  originating  from  the 

EU.  

–  Start to align payment systems legislation with the acquis. 

EN 

11 

   EN 

 
Chapter 5: Public procurement 

–  Give  an  organisation  for  procurement  the  task  of  guaranteeing  a  coherent  policy  and 

steering its implementation. 

–  Present a comprehensive strategy which will include all reforms necessary for legislative 

alignment and institutional capacity building in order to comply with the acquis. 

Chapter 6: Company law 

–  Adopt the new Commercial Code. 

Chapter 7: Intellectual property law 

–  Improve  the  capacity  of  police,  customs  and  judiciary  to  enforce  intellectual  property 

rights, including strengthening coordination between these bodies. 

–  Address, in particular, the counterfeiting of trade marks and piracy. 

Chapter 8: Competition policy 

–  Adopt  a  state  aid  law  in  line  with  the  acquis  requirements  and  set  up  an  operationally 
transparency 

to  fulfil  existing 

independent  state  aid  monitoring  authority  able 
commitments. 

–  Finalise  and  adopt  the  National  Steel  Restructuring  Programme  in  line  with  EU 

requirements.  

Chapter 9: Financial services 

–  Continue  alignment  with  the  new  capital  requirements  for  credit  institutions  and 
investment firms and with the other related directives (deposit guarantee scheme, winding 
up and reorganisation, financial conglomerates, bank accounts). 

–  Strengthen  prudential  and  supervisory  standards  both  in  banking  and  in  the  non-bank 
financial sector, including the establishment of an independent regulatory and supervisory 
authority.  

Chapter 10: Information society and media 

–  Adopt  a  new  Electronic  Communications  Law  aligned  with  the  current  EU  Regulatory 

Framework. 

–  Complete  the  adoption  and  implementation  of  the  key  "starting  conditions"  for  the  2002 

EU regulatory framework. 

–  Continue  alignment  of  legislation  in  the  field  of  audio-visual  policy,  in  particular  with 

regard to the Television without Frontiers directive. 

Chapter 11: Agriculture and rural development 

–  Establish an IPARD agency (Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance Rural Development 

Component) accredited in compliance with EU requirements. 

–  Lift restrictions on trade in beefmeat, live bovine animals and by-products. 

EN 

12 

   EN 

 
Chapter 12: Food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy 

–  Adopt  a  framework  law  on  food,  feed  and  veterinary  matters  compliant  with  EU 

requirements and which allows a complete transposition of the EU acquis. 

–  Ensure  the  operationality  of  the  system  for  the  identification  and  registration  of  bovines 
and  registration  of  their  movement  in  compliance  with  the  EU  acquis,  and  start  the 
implementation of an appropriate system for sheep and goats in order to trace movements. 

–  Take  the  necessary  measures  to  allow  the  Thrace  region  to  be  recognised  by  the  World 
Organisation on Animal Health as a foot and mouth disease free zone with vaccination. 

–  Classify  all  agri-food  establishments  by  category  based  on  the  EU  acquis  and  prepare  a 

National Programme for upgrading those establishments. 

Chapter 13: Fisheries 

–  Reinforce the administrative structures in particular by creating a central unit in charge of 
all  fisheries  matters.  Particular  attention  also  needs  to  be  paid  to  strengthening  fisheries 
inspection and control services. 

–  Adopt the revised Fisheries Law in line with EU requirements. 

Chapter 14: Transport policy 

–  Adopt the Railways Framework Law in order to gradually open the Turkish rail transport 
market  and  provide  for  the  separation  of  functions  regarding  infrastructure  management 
and provision of services. 

–  Continue  alignment  with  and  implementation  in  the  maritime  sector  paying  special 
attention  to  the  effective  implementation  of  pollution  prevention.  Further  strengthen 
maritime  administration,  including  the  improvement  of  the  safety  record  of  the  Turkish 
fleet and the implementation of the maritime security acquis.  

–  In  the  field  of  aviation,  work  towards  a  technical  solution  to  ensure  the  necessary 
communication in order to guarantee the appropriate level of air safety in the South Eastern 
Mediterranean region.  

–  Engage  in  a  process  towards  the  recognition  of  "Community  designation"  and  provide  a 
clear strategy for the progressive alignment to the acquis on the Single European Sky.  

–  Align with and implement the relevant provisions and specificities of the European Civil 

Aviation Conference's policy statement in the field of civil aviation security. 

Chapter 15: Energy 

–  Continue  alignment  with  and  implementation  of  the  acquis  on  the  internal  gas  and 
electricity market and on cross border exchanges in electricity, also with a view to possible 
membership of the Energy Community Treaty. Ensure the implementation of fair and non-
discriminatory rules for the transmission of gas. 

–  Continue to develop the capacities of the different regulatory authorities and ensure their 

independence. 

EN 

13 

   EN 

 
–  Strengthen  administrative  capacity  and  continue  alignment  in  the  energy  efficiency  field, 
promote  high-efficiency  cogeneration,  and  develop  renewable  energy  in  transport, 
electricity  and  heating/cooling,  including  the  setting  of  appropriate  and  ambitious  targets 
and incentives. 

–  Accede to the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and Radioactive 

Waste Management 

Chapter 16: Taxation 

–  Take  practical  steps  leading  to  a  substantial  reduction  in  discriminatory  taxation  of 
alcoholic products, imported tobacco and imported cigarettes, and present a plan with clear 
milestones,  and  agreed  with  the  Commission,  for  the  rapid  elimination  of  any  residual 
discriminatory taxation. 

–  Pursue alignment of VAT and excise duties, in particular on structure and applied rates. 

–  Continue strengthening and modernising the tax administration, including the IT sector, in 
order  to  increase  compliance  and  improve  collection  of  tax  revenues  and  to  reduce  the 
informal economy. 

Chapter 18: Statistics 

–  Produce timely key national accounts indicators in accordance with ESA 95. 

–  Align the methodology and the organisational set-up for collecting information to provide 

agriculture statistics in line with EU requirements. 

–  Finalise establishment of the business register. 

Chapter 19: Social policy and employment 

–  Establish  conditions  for  an  effective  social  dialogue  at  all  levels,  inter  alia,  by  adopting 
new legislation eliminating restrictive provisions on trade union activities and ensuring full 
trade union rights. 

–  Provide  an  analysis  of  undeclared  work  in  Turkey  and  draw  up  a  plan  to  tackle  this 
problem in the context of an overall action plan for the enforcement of the acquis for the 
benefit of the entire workforce. 

–  Finalise  the  work  on  the  Joint  Inclusion  Memorandum  (JIM)  and  the  Joint  Assessment 
Paper  on  Employment  Policy  Priorities  (JAP)  and  actively  implement  both  follow-up 
processes. 

Chapter 20: Enterprise and Industrial policy 

–  Adopt a revised comprehensive industrial policy strategy and a revised SME action plan. 

EN 

14 

   EN 

 
Chapter 22: Regional policy and coordination of structural instruments 

–  Reinforce  the  establishment  of  institutional  structures  and  strengthen  administrative 
capacity  in  the  areas  of  programming,  project  preparation,  monitoring,  evaluation  and 
financial management and control, particularly at the level of line ministries, to implement 
EU pre-accession programmes as a preparation for the implementation of the Community's 
cohesion policy.  

Chapter 23: Judiciary and fundamental rights 

–  Strengthen efforts to align its legislation with the acquis on the protection of personal data 

and to establish an independent data protection supervisory authority. 

–  See for other priorities the section on political criteria. 

Chapter 24: Justice, freedom and security 

–  Continue  to  strengthen  all  law  enforcement  institutions  and  align  their  status  and 
functioning  with  European  standards, 
inter-agency 
cooperation. Adopt a code of ethics and establish an independent and effective complaints 
system to ensure greater accountability covering all law enforcement bodies. 

through  developing 

including 

–  Continue  efforts  to  implement  the  National  Action  Plan  on  Asylum  and  Migration 
(including  through  the  adoption  of  a  roadmap),  increase  capacity  to  combat  illegal 
migration in line with international standards.  

–  Conclude urgently a readmission agreement with the EU. 

–  Make progress in the preparations for the adoption of a comprehensive asylum law in line 

with the acquis including the establishment of an asylum authority. 

–  Continue efforts to implement the National Action Plan on integrated border management 
including through the definition of a precise road map. Steps should be taken to establish 
the new border law enforcement authority. 

–  Implement the national strategy on organised crime. Strengthen the fight against organised 

crime, drugs, trafficking in persons, fraud, corruption and money-laundering. 

Chapter 26: Education and Culture 

–  Enhance  the  administrative  capacity  of  the  Lifelong  Learning  and  Youth  in  Action 

National Agency in order to be able to deal with the increased workload. 

Chapter 27: Environment 

–  Adopt  a  comprehensive  strategy  for  the  gradual  transposition,  implementation  and 
enforcement  of  the  acquis,  including  plans  for  building  up  the  necessary  administrative 
capacity  at  national,  regional  and  local  level  and  required  financial  resources,  with  an 
indication of milestones and timetables. 

–  Continue  transposition,  implementation  and  enforcement  of  the  acquis,  in  particular 
horizontal  and  framework  legislation,  such  as  the  environmental  impact  assessment, 
including transboundary aspects, as well as strengthening of administrative capacity. 

EN 

15 

   EN 

 
–  Adopt the National Waste Management Plan. 

Chapter 28: Consumer and health protection 

–  Further align with the consumer and health acquis, including in the areas of blood, tissues 
and  cells  and  tobacco,  and  ensure  adequate  administrative  structures  and  enforcement 
capacity. 

–  Strengthen  the  courts  capacity,  including  through  training,  to  ensure  consistency  in 

interpretation of consumer legislation. 

Chapter 29: Customs Union 

–  Align legislation on free zones with the relevant acquis, particularly for rules concerning 

customs controls and tax auditing. 

–  Strengthen the enforcement capacity of the customs administration, particularly regarding 
fight against illegal trade and counterfeit. Continue the preparations for interconnectivity of 
the IT systems with the EU. 

–  Eliminate the customs duty relief for goods covered by the Custom Union and which are 

sold in duty-free shops to travellers entering in Turkey. 

Chapter 30: External relations 

–  Align  with  the  EU  position  in  the  World  Trade  Organisation,  as  regards  the  Doha 

Development Agenda and in the OECD. 

–  Complete  the  alignment  with  the  European  Community  regime  on  generalised  system  of 

preferences (GSP). 

–  Continue efforts to conclude outstanding free trade agreements with third countries in line 

with the acquis. 

Chapter 31: Foreign, security and defence policy 

–  Continue to align with EU common positions, declarations, statements and demarches on 

Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). 

–  Align policies towards third countries and positions within international organisations with 
those of EU and member states including in relation to the membership by all EU member 
states of relevant organisations and arrangements such as Wassenaar. 

Chapter 32: Financial control 

–  Adopt an updated Public Internal Financial Control (PIFC) Policy Paper and derived PIFC 

legislation. 

–  Adopt pending legislation to guarantee the functioning of the Turkish Court of Accounts in 
line with the International organisation of supreme audit institutions (INTOSAI) standards 
and guidelines.  

–  Set up an operationally independent anti-fraud coordination structure for the protection of 

the EU financial interests. 

EN 

16 

   EN 

 
3.2.  Medium-Term Priorities 

Economic criteria 

–  Complete the privatisation programme. 

–  Ensure the sustainability of public finance. 

–  Continue to improve the general level of education and health, paying particular attention 

to the younger generation and women. 

–  Upgrade  the  country's  infrastructure,  in  particular  in  energy  and  transport,  in  order  to 

strengthen the competitiveness of the economy at large. 

Ability to assume the obligations of membership 

Chapter 2: Freedom of movement for workers 

–  Ensure  that  the  Public  Employment  Services  have  adequate  capacity  to  guarantee 

participation in the EURES (European Employment Services) network. 

–  Continue  to  strengthen  the  administrative  structures,  in  particular  for  the  coordination  of 

social security schemes. 

Chapter 3: Right of establishment and freedom to provide services 

–  Further remove restrictions on the right of establishment and the freedom to provide cross-

border services 

–  Continue alignment on the acquis for postal services. 

–  Continue  alignment  with  the  acquis  for  the  mutual  recognition  of  professional 

qualifications and, in particular, work towards repealing nationality requirements. 

Chapter 5: Public procurement 

–  Implement the public procurement strategy. 

–  Promote the use of electronic means in procurement procedures. 

Chapter 6: Company law 

–  Adopt a general-purpose financial reporting framework in the area of corporate accounting 

and auditing in line with EU standards. 

–  Strengthen  disclosure  requirements.  In  particular,  adopt  a  general  requirement  for 
companies  to  file  audited  legal  entity  and  consolidated  financial  statements  in  order  to 
make them publicly available.  

Chapter 7: Intellectual property law 

–  Continue alignment and ensure an effective enforcement of intellectual property rights. 

Chapter 8: Competition policy 

–  Align secondary legislation in the state aid field. 

EN 

17 

   EN 

 
–  Ensure  transparency  in  the  area  of  state  aid  in  line  with  existing  bilateral  commitments. 
Inform the Community of all aid schemes in force and notify in advance any individual aid 
to be granted. 

Chapter 10: Information society and media 

–  Continue 

the  acquis 
communications area and prepare for full liberalisation of the markets.  

implementation  of 

transposition  and 

the 

in 

the  electronic 

–  Further  align  with  the  audio-visual  acquis  and  strengthen  the  independence  and 

administrative capacity of the regulatory authority. 

Chapter 11: Agriculture and rural development 

–  Continue  developing  the  system  of  land  identification  and  the  National  Farmer 

Registration System to prepare for controls on agricultural land. 

–  Start  preparing  the  implementation  of  pilot  actions  relating  to  environment  and  the 

countryside, in view of future implementation of agri-environmental measures. 

Chapter 12: Food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy 

–  Adopt  control  measures  for  animal  diseases  and  set  up  eradication  plans  where  this  is 

justified by the animal health situation. 

–  Enhance laboratory and control capacities in the food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary 
domain  in  particular  as  regards  reference  laboratories,  residue  testing  (including  control 
plans) and sampling procedures. 

–  Align the legislation on Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSE) and animal by-

products and start to set up the necessary collection and treatment system. 

Chapter 13: Fisheries 

–  Set  up  a  reliable  stock  assessment  system  to  provide  accurate  information  on  marine 

resources. 

–  Adapt the existing fleet register to EU requirements. 

Chapter 14: Transport policy 

–  Continue the legislative and administrative alignment to the transport acquis in particular 

as regards road transport and air safety. 

–  Strengthen the capacity to implement EU acquis, including control measures, in line with 

EU standards. 

Chapter 15: Energy 

–  Ensure the establishment of a competitive internal energy market, in compliance with the 
electricity  and  gas  directives.  Further  strengthen  administrative  and  regulatory  structures 
needed for a functional and competitive energy market.  

–  Adopt a nuclear law which ensures a high level of nuclear safety in line with EU standards.  

EN 

18 

   EN 

 
Chapter 16: Taxation 

–  Continue  alignment  of  excise  duties  and  VAT,  in  particular  as  regards  deductions, 

exemptions, special schemes, tax refunds and the application of reduced rates.  

Chapter 18: Statistics 

–  Reinforce  the  coordinating  role  and  improve  the  administrative  capacity  of  Turkstat  to 

ensure more timely collection, processing and dissemination of data. 

Chapter 19: Social policy and employment 

–  Continue  transposition  of  the  acquis  and  strengthen  the  related  administrative  and 
enforcement  structures  including  the  labour  inspectorates,  in  association  with  social 
partners. 

–  Enhance  capacity  to  assess  and  monitor  labour  market  and  social  developments  and 

address structural problems. 

Chapter 21: Trans- European networks 

–  Give  priority  to  projects  identified  under  the  Transport  Infrastructure  Needs  Assessment 
(TINA)  and  to  projects  of  common  interest  listed  in  the  European  Community  TEN-
Energy Guidelines. 

Chapter 22: Regional policy and coordination of structural policy instruments 

–  Develop  at  central  level,  regional  and  local  level  the  administrative  capacity  for  the 

implementation of possible future Community cohesion policy. 

Chapter 24: Justice, freedom and security 

–  Accelerate  efforts  to  set  up  an  integrated  border  management  system  in  line  with  the 
acquis,  based  on  close  interagency  coordination  and  professionalism  of  staff,  covering 
inter alia a pre-screening mechanism to identify persons in need of international protection 
at borders. 

–  Continue with alignment with the acquis in the field of asylum, in particular through the 
lifting of the geographical limitation to the Geneva Convention and through strengthening 
protection, social support and integration measures for refugees. 

–  Ensure compatibility of Turkish legislation with the acquis in civil matters and strengthen 

the capacity of the judiciary to apply the acquis. 

Chapter 27: Environment 

–  Continue  to  transpose  and  implement  the  acquis  related  to  the  framework  legislation, 
international environmental conventions and legislation on nature protection, water quality, 
chemicals, industrial pollution and risk management and waste management.  

–  Pursue integration of environmental requirements into other sectoral policies. 

EN 

19 

   EN 

 
Chapter 28: Consumer and health protection 

–  Ensure a high level of protection through the effective enforcement of consumer protection 

rules and involvement of relevant consumer organisations. 

–  In  the  area  of  mental  health,  develop  community-based  services  as  an  alternative  to 
institutionalisation, and ensure allocation of sufficient financial resources for mental health 
care. 

Chapter 29: Customs Union 

–  Complete alignment of customs legislation on dual-use goods and technologies, precursors 

and counterfeit and pirated goods.  

Chapter 32: Financial control 

–  Align the Turkish Criminal Code with the protection of the EU's financial interests (PIF) 

Convention and its protocols. 

4. 

PROGRAMMING 

Financial  assistance  for  the  priorities  identified  in  the  Accession  Partnership  will  be  made 
available through two financial instruments: programmes adopted before and in 2006 will be 
implemented  in  accordance  with  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  2500/2001  of  17  December 
2001  concerning  pre-accession  financial  assistance  for  Turkey.  Programmes  and  projects 
adopted  as  of  2007  will  be  implemented  in  accordance  with  Council  Regulation  EC  No 
1085/2006  of  17  July  2006  (IPA).  Under  both  instruments,  the  Commission  has  adopted 
respectively will adopt financing decisions, followed by a financing agreements signed by the 
Commission  and  Turkey.  The  financing  agreements  serve  as 
the 
implementation of the concrete programmes. 

legal  basis  for 

Turkey has also access to funding from multi-country and horizontal programmes. 

5. 

CONDITIONALITY 

Community  assistance  for  financing  projects  through  the  pre-accession  instruments  is 
conditional on the respect by Turkey of its commitments under the EC-Turkey Agreements, 
including  Customs  Union  Decision  1/95  and  other  decisions,  further  concrete  steps  towards 
satisfying  effectively  the  Copenhagen  criteria  and,  in  particular,  progress  in  meeting  the 
specific priorities of this revised Accession Partnership.  

Failure to respect these general conditions could lead to a decision by the Council to suspend 
financial assistance on the basis of Regulation (EC) No 2500/2001 or on the basis of Article 
21 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1085/2006 (IPA). Specific conditions are also included in 
individual  annual  programmes.  The  financing  decisions  will  be  followed  by  a  financing 
agreement signed with Turkey. 

EN 

20 

   EN 

 
6. 

MONITORING 

The  implementation  of  the  Accession  Partnership  shall  be  examined  using  the  mechanisms 
established  under  the  Association  Agreement  as  appropriate  and  through  the  Commission’s 
progress reports. 

The Association Agreement sub-committees provide the possibility to review implementation 
of  the  Accession  Partnership  priorities  and  progress  as  regards  legal  approximation, 
implementation  and  enforcement.  The  Association  Committee  discusses  overall 
developments, progress and problems in meeting the Accession Partnership priorities as well 
as more specific issues referred to it by the sub-committees. 

The  monitoring  of  the  pre-accession  financial  assistance  programmes  shall  be  carried  out 
jointly by Turkey and the European Commission through a joint monitoring committee (JMC) 
/IPA  Monitoring  Committee.  In  order  to  ensure  the  effectiveness  of  monitoring,  projects 
being  funded  under  each  financing  agreement  must  incorporate  verifiable  and  measurable 
indicators of achievements. Monitoring based on these indicators will assist the Commission, 
the  JMC/  IPA  Monitoring  Committee  and  Turkey  in  subsequently  reorienting  programmes 
where necessary and in the design of new programmes. The JMC/IPA Monitoring Committee 
ensures  that  actions  financed  under  the  pre-accession  programmes  are  compatible  with  the 
Accession Partnership. 

The  Accession  Partnership  will  continue  to  be  amended  as  necessary  in  accordance  with 
Article  2  of  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  622/98  of  16  March  1998  on  assistance  to  the 
applicant  states  in  the  framework  of  the  pre-accession  strategy,  and  in  particular  on  the 
establishment of Accession Partnerships7. 

7 

OJ L 85, 20.3.1998, p. 1 

EN 

21 

   EN