Barroso visits Greek patriarchate, as Turkish PM Erdogan criticizes EU

Jose-Manuel Barroso on Thursday welcomed the Turkish parliament's decision to return property, including school buildings, churches and orphanages, seized from Jewish and Christian foundations decades ago.    Â

Barroso and Bartholomew discussed Turkey's decision not to reopen a Greek Orthodox seminary that was shut down more than two decades ago. The Halki Theological School on Heybeliada Island near Istanbul was closed to new students in 1971 under a law that put religious and military training under state control. The school closed its doors in 1985.  Â

Turkey says a religious institution without government oversight is not compatible with the secular institutions of the country in which all Muslim clerics are trained and paid by the government, and are handed scripts of Friday sermons by a state agency.

In a move welcomed by the EU, Turkey's parliament in February approved a long awaited law aimed at boosting the property rights of non-Muslim minorities.

Facing criticism from the  EU over a slowdown in the reform process, Turkey's ruling AKP government, under pressure because of a closure case against it in the Constitutional Court, is set to give new impetus to the reforms.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on Friday rejected such criticism. "Despite all obstructions and all discouraging attempts, Turkey is marching on its EU path with the same decisiveness and enthusiasm," Erdogan said at the meeting of the Turkey-EU Joint Consultation Committee in Istanbul.

"There are countries, who haven't fulfill their responsibilities under the Copenhagen political criteria as well as economic criteria, and the policy chapters of the EU acquis. What you are going to say about those? Because of that (the EU) should be honest and sincere," he added.

Barroso and Erdogan met on Thursday. Barroso said two more policy chapters will be opened in the accession negotiations with Turkey by July, taking the total number of the chapters opened to eight. There are 35 policy areas that a candidate country is required to complete.

Barroso also said the Constitutional Court's ruling in the closure case against the AKP should be based on the EU norms, adding nobody should expect the Union to assume a position on secularism debates in Turkey.

Barroso, who is accompanied by the Enlargement Commissioner in his visit to Turkey, will return to Brussels on Saturday.

Barroso said his visit aims to "encourage" the Turkish government to continue the reforms, while Erdogan promised to do more.

"We did our homework for Turkey completely, even more than needed," he said, adding the government aims to complete all legislative works by 2013 and considers 2008 as a "leap" year for the EU.

A joint declaration following Friday's Turkey-EU Joint Consultation Committee (JCC) meeting on Friday said that the JCC pays high attention to constitutional reforms in Turkey. "The JCC encourages the Turkish government for the implementation of reforms. It has taken a note of the constitutional reform process in Turkey and believes that the process will provide an opportunity for further freedoms and rights for labor unions," it said.

"The Committee welcomes the opening of two more chapters under the term presidency of Portugal. The JCC calls on term presidents Slovenia and France to open negotiations on other chapters vital for NGOs," the joint declaration also said.