Turkey moved closer to opening membership talks with the European Union after the country’s prime minister assured the bloc Thursday that Ankara would pass legal reforms and end efforts to criminalize adultery.
Guenter Verheugen, the EU expansion commissioner who will issue a report next month on when Turkey could begin negotiations to join the 25-nation organization, indicated he would recommend those discussions start soon. Ankara has been lobbying to have talks start in January.
“The assurances I got … will allow me to make a very clear recommendation” about when to begin the discussions, Verheugen said after meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Although he did not specify what he would recommend in his Oct. 6 report, Verheugen said, “There are no more obstacles on the table now.”
Erdogan said Turkey’s parliament will hold an emergency session Sunday to pass a criminal law reform package, which the EU has said is essential to meeting entry requirements.
