Venice Commission

Will our problems with Europe grow, or will a decrease to a manageable level be achieved? 

If Europe is an "alliance of the crusaders," then it is an enemy of Turkey well in advance; there is no solution to the issues. Why Europe supported the rule of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) until 2011; that is another matter. 

Time has come to start a fundamental discussion on EU-Turkey relations following the April 16 referendum on constitutional amendments shifting the country's governance system to an executive presidency, EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn has said.

A meeting last week between EU leaders and Pope Francis in the Vatican is evidence that Europe's most important union is a "Crusader Alliance" and was consequently avoiding admitting Turkey as a full member, Turkey's president has said, declaring that the upcoming referendum on charter changes will also stand as a vote on Ankara's ties with Brussels. 

Former Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal applied to the provincial sports directorate for the usage of a sports hall in Adana to hold a referendum rally about 23 days ago, but he has not received any answer for 23 days. 

The organizers are considering a rally for Baykal at the local open bazaar. 

The International Association of Judges (IAJ) has published an appeal regarding the situation of the judiciary in Turkey, citing a recent report by the Council of Europe's Venice Commission that noted Turkey's proposed constitutional changes were a big setback for democracy.

Limiting the number of polling stations in countries outside the EU and the prohibition of using languages other than Bulgarian during the election campaign are said to be part of the problems that international observers from OSCE and PACE reported on election day, quoted by BNR.

The results of Turkey's April 16 referendum on whether to replace the current parliamentary system with an executive presidency should be awaited before any comments are made on Turkey's relations with the European Union, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said.

Upon the European Court of Justice's March 14 ruling that companies can ban headscarves and other religious symbols in workplaces, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş reacted and said, "This is a shameful decision. It is one of the many anti-Islam manifestations. This decision destroys European values all together." 

Yet another clash has erupted between the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government and Europe, this time regarding the Venice Commission's highly critical report on the constitutional amendments to be voted on in the April 16 referendum. 

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ has accused the Venice Commission of being a "mouthpiece of Turkey's opposition," criticizing the timing and wording of its new report on the government-supported constitutional amendment to shift Turkey to an executive presidential system.