Štefan Füle, the European Commissioner  responsible for enlargement and European neighbourhood policy, responded to EFJ's call for press freedom in Turkey. (See EFJ letter dated in December 2011).

In his response, Commissioner Füle underlined that "Turkey's legal framework is not in line with EU standards. It does not sufficiently guarantee freedom of expression in line with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and the case law of the ECHR, and it permits restricitve interpretation by the judiciary".

Mr Füle further pointed out that "amendments to the Criminal Code, the Press law and the anti-terrorist Act are needed. The right to freedom of expression is undermined by the large number of legal cases and investigations against journalists, writers, academics and human rights defenders. This leads to self-censorship and, together with undue pressure on the media, raises serious concerns."  He said the Commission is "concerned by the wave of arrests, notably of journalists in the framework of the investigation into the KCK."

See the full reply from Commissioner Füle here.