Sept. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Turkey's parliament passed a revamped penal code that widens freedom of speech and stiffens punishment for torture, a step the European Commission said was needed to win membership talks with the European Union.

The code, delayed amid a fight between lawmakers over a proposed ban on adultery, means the commission can recommend on Oct. 6 that talks with Turkey start. The EU will make the final decision at a summit in December.

``The penal code is of the greatest importance, because it strengthens the rights of our citizens and the nation's case for becoming a member of the European Union,'' Justice Minister Cemil Cicek told parliament after the law was approved.

Turkey, whose population of 70 million is almost 100 percent Muslim, says the start of membership talks will draw in foreign investment and help it tackle $208 billion in debt, equivalent to about 70 percent of its economic output.

The new code was approved by a show of hands, parliament speaker Bulent Arinc said in televised comments to the 550-seat assembly. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan three days ago called on lawmakers to complete the legislation after a meeting in Brussels with EU Enlargement Commissioner Guenter Verheugen.

Verheugen declared there were ``no more obstacles'' to Turkey starting membership talks after Erdogan promised to press ahead with the penal code and drop plans to outlaw extramarital affairs, a measure the EU said didn't meet its standards for human rights and individual freedoms.

President Ahmet Necdet Sezer must approve the legislation before it becomes law.

Heavier Sentences

The penal code introduces heavier sentences for torture and life imprisonment for ``honor killings,'' a feudal system of punishment for women considered to have blackened the name of their families through unvirtuous acts. It also reduces restrictions on freedom of speech, including the criticism of state institutions.

The law will bring longer jail terms for drug smuggling and human trafficking. It also strengthens equality of the sexes, increases jail terms for child molesting and will make polluting the environment a crime punishable by imprisonment.

Politicians including British Prime Minister Tony Blair say the EU mustn't turn its back on a nation that's both Muslim and democratic. Germany's main opposition Christian Democrats oppose Turkey's membership, saying the nation isn't sufficiently European in terms of culture, history and geography.

Turkey, which borders Iraq, Iran and Syria, became a candidate for membership of the EU in 1999. EU leaders including French President Jacques Chirac say it may be 15 years before Turkey joins the 25-nation bloc.

Law Critics

The European Union has asked Turkey to reform its judicial system, which it says is under-funded and often based on outdated legislation. The original penal code was copied from Benito Mussolini's Italy in 1926.

Critics of the new penal code say it doesn't do enough to strengthen women's rights and leaves some curbs on freedom of expression, including measures restricting press freedom. It also punishes sex between minors with jail sentences and doesn't mention homosexuality at all, critics say.

The penal code will enter force on April 1, barring a few articles on illegal housing and the environment, which will become law either earlier or later than April.

The EU and the U.S. praised Turkey after it scaled back the army's role in political life, expanded cultural rights for its 12 million Kurds and backed an abortive United Nations plan to reunite Cyprus.

Opposition Within EU

Turkey faces pockets of opposition to its membership in the EU, which is struggling with the costs of admitting 10 countries including seven ex-Soviet satellites this year. Once the talks are over, any one country could still vote to keep Turkey out.

Due to Turkey's higher birthrate, Turkey would end up with 20 percent of the votes on EU laws by 2025, ahead of Germany's 14 percent and France's 12 percent, Jacques Toubon, a leader of the conservative group in the European Parliament, said this week.

About 71 percent of Turks support EU membership, a higher proportion of the population than in candidates Bulgaria and Romania, the Eurobarometer survey, a regular poll of public opinion published by the European Commission, said in May.

To contact the reporters on this story: Mark Bentley in Ankara at mbentley3@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: September 26, 2004 13:39 EDT