President Abdullah Gül approved on Wednesday a law that includes a change to the Code on Criminal Procedure (CMK), clearing the path for putting members of the military on trial in civilian courts during peacetime and barring military tribunals from prosecuting civilians.
The approval of the new legislation has been welcomed by many as a step covering a significant distance in the harmonization of Turkish laws and judiciary with the EU acquis and Turkey's bid to join the 27-member bloc. It has also come as a considerable move towards balancing military-civilian relations, a pledge included in the Third National Program, which was announced last August with the ultimate motive of renewing the push for EU accession.
Though it has been almost a year since the announcement of the Third National Program, which addresses the 473 laws and regulations that need to be changed in order to adapt Turkey's legislation in compliance with 33 chapters of the EU negotiation process, the government's lack of movement on the package has been a source of disappointment for intellectuals.
