Malta 'cautious' over Turkey's EU bid

Malta is adopting a cautious approach to Turkey's bid to join the European Union even if its stand will be in line with what the European Commission will have to say on the matter.

Speaking to The Times, a spokesman for the Foreign Affairs Ministry said: "Malta will await the Commission's report on Turkey and the island's position will be related to what the Commission will say on Turkey satisfying the Copenhagen criteria."

The European Commission will issue its position on whether Turkey should start accession negotiations on October 6. This report will evaluate the requirement criteria according to EU rules and propose the way forward.

It will be up to the 25 EU leaders during their summit in December to take the final decision. Malta will probably be represented by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan will be meeting members of the European Parliament today in a bid to gain support for his country's accession to the EU. He will appear before the EP amid a row sparked off by Ankara's bid to criminalise adultery - a proposal which has now been postponed.

Martin Schulz, the leader of the Socialist bloc in the EP, will tell the Turkish Prime Minister to get on with it. "I am in favour of Turkish membership of the EU but not at any price," he told a press conference. "The process of reforming the Turkish penal code must be reopened. We cannot even contemplate the possibility of accession talks with Turkey until these reforms are in place."

Centre-right MEPs will also send a clear message. The German Christian Democrat chairman of the EP's foreign affairs committee, Elmar Brok, said Turkey has not done its homework yet and therefore the decision over accession negotiations should be put on hold.

Mr Brok and many German right-wingers are opposed to Turkey joining the EU, suggesting that membership would open the door to countries such as the Ukraine and Georgia.