EU expects action, not commitments from Turkey- EP rapporteur

The EP's Foreign Relations Committee discussed the draft report on Turkey written by Ruijten.

The Justice and Development Party (AKP) would not be able to fulfill its promise of modernization to its voters without making political reforms, Ruijten said during the meeting.

She urged the ruling AKP to pursue the constitutional reform it announced in the past, and said the bloc also expected the party to change the law on political parties.

Ruitjen also praised the constructive foreign policy Turkey pursued in indirect talks between Syria and Israel, the Caucasus and other regional issues.

Also speaking during the discussions, Hannes Swoboda, the vice-chairman of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament, said though he found the report balanced, he had some objections.

The EU opened entry talks with Turkey in 2005, but there has been little progress amid disagreements over Cyprus and opposition from France, which took over the bloc's presidency from Slovenia on July 1 for six months, among other EU countries, including Austria and Germany.