Activities of Bodil VALERO related to 2016/2308(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
2016 Report on Turkey (debate) SV
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the 2016 Commission Report on Turkey PDF (313 KB) DOC (69 KB)
Amendments (25)
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 10 a (new)
Citation 10 a (new)
- having regard to reports by EU and Member States intelligence services (IntCen, German BND) and UK Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee on the 15 July 2016 failed coup attempt, which contradict the Turkish government's claim that Fethullah Gülen has masterminded the coup,
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 19
Citation 19
— having regard to Turkey’s security situation, which has deteriorated both internally and externally, to the reignited civil war and to the terrorist attacks carried out in the country,
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Underlines that 2016 was a difficult year for Turkey’'s population as a result of the continuing war in Syria, the high numbers of refugees, the civil war in the South-East, a string of heinous terror attacks, and a violent coup attempt in which 248 people were killed; reiterates its strong condemnation of the coup attempt of 15 July and expresses its solidarity with the people of Turkey; recognises the right and the responsibility of the Turkish government to take action in bringing the perpetrators to justice in respect of rule of law and internationally recognised fair trial procedures;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Underlines, however, that measures taken under the state of emergency had large-scale, disproportionate and long- lasting negative effects on the protection of fundamental freedoms in the country; condemns the collective dismissal of civil servants, the mass liquidation of media outlets, the arrests of members of Parliament, journalists, academics, judges, human rights defenders, elected and unelected officials and ordinary citizens, and the confiscation of property and passport, members of the security services and ordinary citizens, kidnapping and alleged forced disappearances and the confiscation and/or nationalisation of private companies, property and passports, the closure of hundreds of schools and more than a dozen universities and the travel ban against tens of thousands of Turkish citizens on the basis of emergency decree laws without individualised decisions, and without the possibility of timely judicial review;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses the strategic importance of good EU-Turkey relations for both sides; recognises that both Turkey and the EU have gone through their own internal transformation processes since the accession negotiations were opened in 2004; regrets that the accession instruments have not been used to the fullest extent, notably the opening of chapters 23 and 24 on human rights and rule of law as demanded by the European Parliament and the Commission, and that, over the years, Turkey’'s full integration into the EU has lost public support on both sides; remains committed to cooperating and maintaining an open dialogue with the Turkish Government, in order to address common challenges; recommends that the Council urgently invite the Turkish Government to a summit to discuss the obvious crisis in EU-Turkey relations that we are faced with;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Takes note of the outcome of the referendum that took place on 16 April 2017, held under the state of emergency and in circumstances that prevented a fair campaign; supports an independent evaluation of all claims regarding irregularities as well as credible voting results, raising serious doubts about the validity and legitimacy of the outcome; considering the enormous amount of irregularities as listed in the statement of the OECD/ODHIR Observation Mission, issued on 17 April 2017; supports calls for an independent inquiry into the enormous amount of irregularities listed in the statement of the OECD/ODHIR Observation Mission, issued on 17 April 2017; notes the remarks of the Venice Commission on the constitutional reform, and underlines that the proposed constitutional amendments do not respect the fundamental principles of the separation of powers and sufficient checks and balances, and are not in line with the Copenhagen criteria;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to suspend the accession talks with Turkey if the constitutional package is implemented unchangedcontinue the freeze of the accession talks until the government clearly manifests its interest for EU integration in words and deeds by returning to the level of rapprochement with the EU acquis communautaire, especially on human rights and rule of law, achieved prior to the June 2015 national elections;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Underlines that in case the Turkish government organises a referendum for the re-introduction of the death penalty, voting should not take place within EU jurisdiction and that a re- introduction of the death penalty should lead to the immediate suspension of accession negotiations;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. NotesIs extremely concerned that measures undertaken following the declaration of the state of emergency have targeted alleged members/supporters of the Gülen movement, dissent in general and political parties of the opposition in particulardirected against dissent in general and political parties of the opposition in particular were overwhelmingly justified with alleged connections of entities and individuals to the Gülen movement, which the Erdogan government has made responsible for the failed coup attempt without providing convincing evidence; strongly condemns the imprisonment of 13 MPs belonging to the People’'s Democratic Party (HDP), including its co-chairs, and of 90 Kurdish municipal mayors; urges the Turkish Government to lift the state of emergency immediately; underlines that the reintroduction of the death penalty would violate Turkey’s international commitments and lead to an immediate end to the EU accession talksexpresses its grave concern over the purge with close to 50 000 arrests, some 140 000 public workers suspended or dismissed and thousands of companies and assets confiscated; urges the Turkish Government to lift the state of emergency immediately;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the Turkish Government to offer to all persons subject to restrictive measures appropriate and effective remedies and judicial review in line with the rule of law; calls on Turkey tounderlines that since July 2016 more than 100 000 legal complaints have been filed with the Turkish Constitutional Court, which declared itself not competent on matters falling under the Emergency Decrees, and that the European Court of Human Rights will have to rule shortly on whether the Turkish legal system still meets the conditions for the right to remedy, particularly in view of Emergency Decree 690; calls on Turkey to urgently revise the ‘'Commission of Inquiry for State of Emergency Practices’' in such a way that it becomes a robust, independent and fully mandated commission capable of giving individual treatment to all cases, of processing effectively the enormous number of applications it will receive and of ensuring that the judicial review is not unduly delayed; is concerned over reports of ill-treatment, torture, rape and alleged extra-judicial killings in detention centres and calls for a thorough investigation by the Turkish authorities into these allegations and to hold perpetrators to account;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Condemns strongly the violations of freedom of expression and the serious infringements of media freedom, including the disproportionate bannings of media sites and social media; notes with concern the closure of around 170 media outlets - including almost all Kurdish-language outlets - and the jailing of more than 150 journalists; recalls that a free and pluralistic press is an essential component of any democracy and urges the Turkish government to release all journalists immediately; calls on the Turkish government to allow former MEP Joost Lagendijk, who has been living and working in Turkey since 2009 but has been denied access to Turkey since September 2016, to return home as soon as possible;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Condemns strongly the violations of freedom of expression and the serious infringements of media freedom, including the disproportionate bannings of media sites and social media, including access to Wikipedia; notes with concern the closure of around 170 media outlets - including almost all Kurdish-language and all Gülen related outlets - and the jailing of more than 150 journalists - the highest number of any country in the world - which close to terminates access of citizens to independent information from within Turkey; recalls that a free and pluralistic press is an essential component of any democracy and urges the Turkish government to restore media freedom and to release all journalists immediately;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Expresses its serious concern over the renewed outbreak of the civil war and at the continuously deteriorating situation in south-east Turkey, especially in the areas where curfews were imposed, where some 2 000 people were reportedly killed in the context of security operations and an estimated half a million people became displaced in the period from July 2015 to December 2016; notes that local prosecutors have consistently refused to open investigations into the reported killings; is convinced that only a return to the peace process can bring a fair political settlement of the Kurdish question can bring sustainable, stability and prosperity both to the area and to Turkey as a whole; notes that a series of laws have created an atmosphere of ‘'systematic impunity’' for the security forces; regrets the decision of the Turkish Parliament to waive the immunity of a large number of MPs unconstitutionally, paving the way for the arrests of opposition politicians;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Is concerned that judges and prosecutors continue to come under strong political pressure and that manyclose to one third of judges and prosecutors have been dismissed or arrested; calls on Turkey to restore and implement all legal guarantees to ensure full respect for the independence of the judiciary, including by amending the law on the High Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) in order to reduce the executive’'s influence within that Council; is particularly concerned that ‘'criminal judges of peace’' appear to have been transformed into an instrument of harassment to stifle opposition, as well as controlling the information available to the general public; criticises Turkey for being in breach of international law by detaining judge Aydin Sefa Akay, who enjoys diplomatic immunity while serving on the UN tribunal for crimes in Former Yugoslavia and Ruanda and calls on Turkey to follow suit of the ruling of the United Nations Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals and of the demand by the UN Secretary- General to immediately release the judge and to cease all legal proceedings against him;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Welcomes moves by individual Member States who accelerate asylum procedures for Turkish citizens persecuted under the emergency decrees and calls on all EU Member States to grant humanitarian visa to citizens that are persecuted so that they can travel to the EU in a safe way in order to find protection;
Amendment 222 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Welcomes the deepenexisting of EU- Turkey relations in key areas of joint interest, such as counter-terrorism, migration, energy, the economy and trade; believes EU-Turkey cooperation in these areas to be an investment in the stability and prosperity of both Turkey and the EU; believes that contacts amongst members of civil society are of key importance and urges to intensify these contacts;
Amendment 246 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. BReiterates that the EU is Turkey's main trading partner and that two thirds of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Turkey comes from EU Member States; believes that strengthening trade relations could bring concrete benefits to citizens in Turkey and the EU, and therefore supportsopposes however the Commission’'s proposal to start negotiations on the upgrading of the Customs Union; reiterates that the EU is Turkey’s main trading partner and that two thirds of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Turkey comes from EU Member States; considers the involvement of social partners in negotiations as crucial; calls on the Commission to include political benchmark until significant improvements onf human rights and fundamental freedoms in the upgraded Customs UnionTurkey have been achieved;
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls on the Commission to take into account the latest developments in Turkey when conducting the mid-term review of the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) funds in 2017, and to suspendfreeze all pre-accession funds ifsince Turkey no longer sufficiently complies with the EU’s Copenhagen criteria; calls on the Commission to use those funds to support Turkish civil society and to invest more in people-to-people exchange programmes, such as Erasmus+ for students;
Amendment 295 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Condemns in the strongest terms all terrorist attacks carried out in Turkey, and stands firmly by Turkey’'s population in our joint fight against terrorism; welcomes the close bilateral relations between EU Member States and Turkey in the field of anti-terrorism cooperation, including on ‘foreign fighters’; reiterates its condemnation ofanti-terrorism cooperation on IS 'foreign fighters' between EU Member States and Turkey; reiterates its condemnation of the return to violence by different parties in the civil war; notes that under the preturn to violence bysent circumstances the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been on cannot be removed from the EU’s list of terrorist organisations since 2002; invites the Member States to enforce legislation banning the use of signs and symbols of organisations which are on that list;
Amendment 305 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Commends the engagement by the Turkish Government and the hospitality shown by the population in hosting around 3 million refugees; notdenounces the EU- Turkey statement on migration, and urgerequests the Member States to initiate the voluntary resettlement scheme for the most vulnerableno longer return refugees in Turkey; calls on the Commission to ensure long-term investment in both refugees and their host communities in Turkey; encourages the Turkish Government to grant work permits to all Syrian refugees; calls on Ankara to keep up its patrolling efforts in the Aegean and to implement fully the bilateral readmission agreements signed with Bulgaria and Greece;
Amendment 322 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Condemns strongly the recent statements by President Erdogan accusing some EU leaders of ‘'Nazi practices’' and warns that the continuation of such unwarranted statements undermines Turkey’'s credibility as a political partner and pose serious threats to the peaceful intra-society co-existence in many EU member states with a considerable minority of Turkish origin; notes with concern the reports of alleged pressure on members of the Turkish diaspora living in the Member States, and condemns the Turkish authorities’' surveillance of citizens with dual nationality living abroad; is concerned at the revocation of a large number of passports and the reported refusal of service by Turkish consulates to number of its citizens, leaving people stateless and in limbo;
Amendment 349 #
19. Underlines that a settlement of the Cyprus problem would have a positive impact on the entire region, while first and foremost benefiting both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots; praises the leaders of the Greek and Turkish communities in Cyprus for having achieved major progress in the settlement talks; welcomes the exchange of preferred maps, thus far unprecedented, and the first international conference held with the guarantor powers; supports the settlement based on a bi- communal, bi-zonal federation with political equality, a single international legal personality, single sovereignty and single citizenship with political equality between the two communities, in line with the joint declaration of 11 February 2014 by the two leaders and the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and on the basis of respect for the principles on which the Union is founded; welcomes the intensified engagement by the parties to achieve the settlement of the Cyprus problem; expects Turkey to continue showing active support for the negotiations, and reiterates that Turkey’s commitment and contribution to a comprehensive settlement remain crucial; praises the important work of the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) and to exploit the current window of opportunity; calls on the European Commission to fully support the settlement, both politically and financially; praises the important work of the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) which deals with both Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot missing persons, and calls on Turkey to allow access to all relevant sites and to assist the CMP by providing information from its military archives;
Amendment 368 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Stresses the need for the implementation of the EU acquis in the northern part of the Island; acknowledges in this regard the importance of the uninterrupted continuation of the work of the bi-communal ad-hoc committee on EU preparation; encourages both the European Parliament and the Commission to intensify their efforts to engage with Turkish Cypriots in preparation to fully integrate into the EU;
Amendment 380 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19 b. Takes the view that the implementation of the EU Council Conclusions of 26 April 2004 for lifting the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots and the adoption of the Direct Trade Regulation would facilitate the peace process and enable the Turkish Cypriots trade directly with the EU with preferential tariff, which shall bring Turkish Cypriots people closer to the European Union;
Amendment 383 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 c (new)
Paragraph 19 c (new)
19 c. Regrets that despite the agreement by the two leaders on a series of confidence-building measures, including on the opening of two new crossings points, on the interconnection of the electricity grids and on the interoperability of mobile phones, there has been little to no progress on the implementation of these measures; calls therefore for the implementation of all agreed measures without further delay;