[JURIST] The Turkish government will submit a European Union (EU) reform package with proposed constitutional changes to Parliament by the end of March, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday, following a meeting of the EU Reform Watch Group. The Watch Group, overseen by Minister and Chief EU Negotiator Egemen Bag?s, was created to guide Turkey’s accession to the EU. Erdogan said that the amendments, necessary for continuing EU negotiations, would focus on judicial reform. Other areas of potential reform include the formation of an ombudsman’s office and the election system in Turkey, including political parties. Erdogan condemned opposition parties and the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) for opposing a constitutional amendment, and said the government will seek a public referendum if an agreement for the constitutional amendments cannot be reached.
Turkey has faced several obstacles as it works toward membership in the EU, including its human rights record, its stance towards political parties, and tension between Turkey’s ruling Justice Development Party (AKP) and the military. In December, the Constitutional Court of Turkey voted to ban the Democratic Society Party (DTP) after finding the party had contacts with the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), a separatist, designated terrorist group. Erdogan has sought to end Turkey’s 25-year conflict with the PKK, which has been a major impediment to Turkey’s bid to join the EU. In May, the EC-Turkey Association Council urged Turkey to improve its human rights record. Last year, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso addressed the Turkish parliament and applauded the government’s efforts to reform a controversial provision of the Turkish penal code but stressed that further efforts would be necessary.