EU continues to review Turkey’s judiciary bill

BRUSSELS

The EU continues to review Turkey’s judiciary law, which has amended the composition of the country’s judicial board, said Peter Stano, spokesperson for EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule. The new law, approved by Turkish Parliament on Saturday, transfers some of the body's powers, known by the initials HSYK, to its chairman - the justice minister. It also allows the government to have more of a say in the vocational training of judicial officials by transferring the training activities from the judicial board to the Turkish Justice Academy, whose members will be chosen by the Justice Ministry. Peter Stano said the EU has conveyed its concerns to Turkey over the new bill “that will have effects on the principle of the separation of powers.” “This is a process and each sides know their positions and expectations, and we will continue to review the new bill,” said Stano The bill, which caused tension between Turkey's leading political parties when it was proposed, will be submitted to President Abdullah Gul for ratification. The Justice and Development Party had earlier sought an agreement with opposition parties for a constitutional amendment to change the judicial board. That plan fell by the wayside when the two largest opposition parties rejected the ruling party's offer. He said European Commission’s duty is to make sure the criteria has been respected. “The EU member-states decide on whether the candidate countries move forward in terms of the EU negotiation process,” he added. 

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