25 Amendments of Barry ANDREWS related to 2019/2176(INI)
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 5 a (new)
Citation 5 a (new)
- having regard to Turkey's membership in the Council of Europe and in NATO;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas being a candidate country presumes a willingness to progressively approach in all aspects the values, interests, standards and policies of the EU and to respect and uphold the Copenhagen criteria and to align itself with EU policies and objectives;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas an analysis of the Commission’s reports on Turkey since 2014 and, in particular, the 2019 and 2020 reports, reveals that Turkey has increasingly and rapidly distanced itself from the EU’s values and its normative framework; not only by the domestic democratic backsliding but also by aggressive foreign policy moves, including illegal actions against EU member states; notes that these reports state that Turkey did not implement the recommendations of the previous reports, pointing to a lack of commitment from the Turkish side and calling into question Turkey’s wish for accession;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the European Parliament has substantially cut the Pre-Accession funding for Turkey, in light of the democratic backsliding and inability to adhere to the rule of law;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas, in spite of this principled stance by Parliament and all of the current circumstances, the European Council, in its conclusions of 1 October 2020, offered Turkey a renewed and broad positive agenda, provided that constructive efforts are sustained, in a further attempt to restore our relations; whereas after the European Council meeting of October 2020, no such constructive efforts were made;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Notes with concern that Turkey’the Turkish government's continuous and growing distancing from European values and standards hasand the Turkish president’s threats and openly provocative, on occasions insulting, statements against the EU and its leaders have brought EU- Turkey relations to a historical low point, having deteriorated to such an extent that it requires both parties to profoundly reassess the current framework of relations;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Stresses that, since the Parliament’s last report, the situation, far from improving, has deteriorated even further; firmly insists, therefore, on therefore that, in line with the Negotiating Framework from October 2005, the Commission should recommend the formal suspension of accession negotiations with Turkey, in order for both sides to review in a realistic manner the appropriateness of the current framework and its ability to function, or, if necessary, to explore possible new models for future relations;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Regrets the current lack of understandingstate of play of relations between the EU and Turkey, but reaffirms its firm conviction that Turkey is a strategic neighbour, key for the stability of the wider region, and ally with which the EU wishes to have the best possible relations, including within NATO; is deeply concerned about Turkey's current destabilising role in the wider region through its involvement in several conflicts;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Expresses its will to strengthen and deepen mutual knowledge and understanding between Turkish and European societies, combating all manifestations of social, religious or cultural prejudice; expresses its full commitment to continue supporting Turkey’s independent civil society in whatever circumstances and framework of relations that the future may bring; believes, nevertheless, that the accession process would still be the mostis a powerful tool to exercise normative pressure on the Turkish government and the best framework to sustain the democratic and pro-European aspirations of Turkish society; stresses that a purely transactional relationship will hardly contribute to the advancement of Turkey towards a more democratic modrecognises however that the advancement of Turkey towards a more democratic model will require political will at the highest political level;
Amendment 232 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Notes with deep concern that, despite the formal lifting of the state of emergency in July 2018, its impact on democracy and fundamental rights continues to be strongly felt, most recently with the mass sentencing on November 26 of 337 people to life imprisonment for taking part in the failed coup in 2016;
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Is deeply worried about the disregard by the Turkish judiciary of European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) rulings and the increasing non-compliance of lower courts with the judgments of the Constitutional Court; recognises that there have been instances where Turkey has requested the re-trial of its prisoners following a decision by the ECtHR however, notes with regret that these retrials often fail to meet internationally recognised standards for a fair trial, such as in the Ilhan Sami Comak case;
Amendment 308 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Is deeply concerned about the constant attacks and pressure on the opposition parties and sentencing of members of the opposition, which undermines the proper functioning of a democratic system;
Amendment 325 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls on Turkeythe Turkish government to release all imprisoned human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, academics and others who have been detained on unsubstantiated charges and to enable them to carry out their work without threat or impediment in all circumstances; strongly condemns the re-arrest and continued detention of Osman Kavala, a prominent civil society figure; is appalled by the tragic death of human rights lawyer Ebru Timtik after 238 days of hunger strike at protest of her unfair trial after being convicted of membership of a terrorist organisation;
Amendment 377 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Urges Turkeythe Turkish government to protect the rights of minorities and vulnerable groups, including women, LGBTI people and ethnic and religious minorities and to take further measures to end violence against women and the deplorable practice of so called “honour killings”; calls on Turkey to fully implement and abide by the Istanbul Convention to which it has signed up;
Amendment 475 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. RecallAhead of the 10-year anniversary of the conflict in Syria, commends the laudable role played by Turkey in responding to the migration crisis resulting from the war in Syria; acknowledges that Turkey continues to host and provide social services for 3.6 million Syrian refugees; takes the view that the EU should continue to give the necessary support to Syrian refugees and host communities in Turkey; supports an objective assessment of the EU-Turkey Statement and underlines the importance of both parties’ compliance with their respective commitments; recognizes the migratory pressure Turkey is facing however, firmly objects to the Turkish government using migrants as blackmail against the EU;
Amendment 516 #
26. Stresses that a modernisation of the Customs Union cwould be beneficial for both parties and would keep Turkey economically and normatively anchored to the EU; reiterates that this would need to be based on strong conditionality related to human rights and fundamental freedoms; highlights that it seems unrealistic to envisage any modernisation of the Customs Union given the current circumstancebelieves that a door should be left open for a modernisation of the Customs Union but stresses that would require a change of attitude and constructive efforts by the Turkish government to improve overall relations and would need to be based on strong conditionality related to human rights and fundamental freedoms; recalls that the current Customs Union will not achieve its full potential until Turkey fully implements the Additional Protocol in relation to all Member States;
Amendment 542 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Is deeply concerned by the ongoing dispute in the Eastern Mediterranean and the related risk of a military escalation; condemns Turkey’s illegal activities in Greek and Cypriot waters, which violate both the sovereign rights of EU Member States and international law; expresses its full solidarity with Greece and the Republic of Cyprus; urges Turkey to engage in the peaceful settlement of disputes and to refrain from any unilateral and illegal action or threat; welcomes the proposal of the European Council for a Multilateral Conference on the Eastern Mediterranean and calls on the High Representative to launch it as soon as soon as possible;
Amendment 588 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Strongly condemns the Turkish military interventions in Syria, especially in the northeast and Idlib, which constitute grave violations of international law; reiterates its position as expressed in its resolution of 24 October 2019 on the Turkish military operation in northeast Syria and its consequences, including the call for an EU-wide arms embargo on Turkey;
Amendment 608 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Calls on Turkey to remain committed to the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Libya under the auspices of the UN, and to fully adhere to the arms embargo imposed by the UN Security Council and to not obstruct EU and NATO missions mandated to enforce the UN arms embargo on Libya;
Amendment 621 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. RFirmly regrets that, rather than calling for an end to the violence and for a resumption of peaceful negotiations supporting the efforts of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group, Turkey instead decided to unconditionally sustain the military actions of one of the sides in the recent conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh thereby resorting to provocative rhetoric fuelling tensions instead of reducing them ; condemns the transfer of foreign fighters by Turkey from Syria and elsewhere to Nagorno-Karabakh, as confirmed by international actors, including the OSCE Minsk Group Co- Chair countries;
Amendment 648 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 b (new)
Paragraph 31 b (new)
31b. Calls on the EEAS StratCom division to document suspicions of Turkish disinformation directed at the EU, particularly in Africa and the MENA region and to report its findings to the European Parliament;
Amendment 653 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Believes that it is high time to review the EU’s relations with Turkey and to define a comprehensive, unified and coherent strategy for the medium to long term, among all EU institutions and Member States; believes that the EU should not confuse Turkey with the policies of its current government, therefore underlines that the EU should remain committed to support Turkey’s civil society, human rights defenders and journalists and to increase opportunities for people-to-people contacts, academic dialogue, access for Turkish students to European universities, and media platforms for journalists with the objective of protecting and promoting democratic values and principles, human rights and the rule of law;
Amendment 684 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Takes the view that enhancing communication and dialogue at all levels are key to restoring mutual trust between the EU and Turkey; deplores the continuous and unjustified refusal of the Turkish side to reinstexpresses in this regard the hope thate the normal functioning of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee can be reinstated soon;
Amendment 691 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 a (new)
Paragraph 33 a (new)
33a. Calls on the European Council to take appropriate actions against Turkey, including restrictive measures, given the absence of progress, but underlines that these sanctions should not have an adverse impact on the Turkish people, its civil society or the refugees in Turkey;
Amendment 694 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 b (new)
Paragraph 33 b (new)
33b. calls for an EU-Turkey leaders meeting after a genuine process of de- escalation, in order to review the current framework of relations, or, to explore new, more effective models for the relations;