Activities of Alexander Graf LAMBSDORFF related to 2012/2870(RSP)
Plenary speeches (2)
2012 progress report on Turkey (B7-0162/2013) (vote)
2012 progress report on Turkey (debate)
Amendments (25)
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 18a (new)
Citation 18a (new)
- Having regard to the Commission's assessment that whilst good progress was made in the area of company law, following the establishment of the Turkish Accounting and Auditing Standards Authority, new laws relating to corporate governance and relations between shareholders and their respective companies are not in line with the acquis and increase State involvement in the corporate governance by giving more power to the Capital Markets Board (CMB) to control companies,
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 19
Citation 19
– having regard to Turkey's potential to play a pivotal role in diversifying energy resources and routes for oil and gas, gas and electricity transit from neighbouring countries to the EU; having regard to the potential for both Turkey and the EU to benefit from Turkey's rich renewable energy resources in creating a sustainable low-carbon economy,
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Commends the Commission and Turkey for the implementation of the positive agenda, which proves how, in a context of mutual engagement and clear objectives, Turkey and the EU could advance their dialogue, achieve common understanding and produce positive change and needed reforms; believes that a renewed mutual engagement in the context of the negotiation process is needed to maintain a constructive relationship; stresses the importance of creating the conditions for a constructive dialogue and the foundations for a common understanding;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses Turkey's strategic role, politically and geographically, for the foreign policy of the EU and its neighbourhood policy; recognises the government’s regional ambition and Turkey'’s role as an important regional player and calls on the EU and Turkey to further reinforce their existing political dialogue on foreign policy choices and objectives; regrets that the alignment of Turkey with CFSP declarations continued to be low in 2012; encourages Turkey to develop its foreign policy in the framework of dialogue and coordination with the EU;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses Turkey's strategic role, politically and geographically, for the foreign policy of the EU and its neighbourhood policy; recognises Turkey's role as an important regional player and calls on the EU and Turkey to further reinforce their existing political dialogue on foreign policy choices and objectives; regrets that the alignment of Turkey with CFSP declarations continued to be low in 2012; encourages Turkey to develop its foreign policy in the framework of dialogue and coordination with the EUrequires Turkey, in particular, to align itself closely with the common foreign and security stance of the European Union against Islamist fundamentalism; encourages Turkey to develop its foreign policy in the framework of dialogue and coordination with the EU; to that end proposes that Turkey is invited to participate in the European Council meeting in December 2013 which is to be devoted to common foreign, security and defence policy;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes the Council decision to invite the Commission to take steps towards visa liberalisation as a gradual and long term perspective, in parallel with the signature of the readmission agreement; urges Turkey to sign and implement the readmission agreement without further delay and to ensure that, until this agreement enters into force, existing bilateral agreements are fully implemented; recalls that Turkey is one of the key transit countries for illegal migration to the EU and underlines the need to intensify cooperation with the EU on migration management, the fight against human trafficking and border controls; stresses once again the importance of facilitating access to the EU for business people, academics, students and representatives of civil society from Turkey; supports the efforts of the Commission and the Member States to implement the visa code, harmonise and simplify visa requirements and create visa facilitating centres in Turkey; Reminds the Member States of their commitments under the association agreement in line with the Soysal Ruling of the European Court of Justice of 19 February 2009;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. CommendsRecognizes the commitment by the Constitution Conciliation Committee for its commitment to a new Constitution and for thestresses the need for an inclusive process of consultation of civil society, which reflected the diversity of Turkish society; encourages the Committee to continue its work and to tackle in a collegialn inclusive and representative way, and in line with the criteria and values of the EU, key issues such as (i) the separation of powers and an adequate system of checks and balances, (ii) relations between the State, society and religion, (iii) an inclusive system of governance securing the basichuman rights and fundamental freedoms of all citizens and (iv) an inclusive concept of citizenship;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. CommendsNotes the commitment of the Constitution Conciliation Committee for its commitment totowards the drafting of a new Constitution and for the inclusive process of consultation of civil society, which reflected the diversity of Turkish society; encourages the Committee to continue its workis concerned, nevertheless, at the apparent lack of progress made by the Committee so far; encourages the Committee to review its working methods with the aim of reaching genuine consensus based on compromise, and to tackle in a collegial way, and in line with the values of the EU, key issues such as (i) the separation of power and an adequate system of checks and balances, (ii) relations between the State, society and religion, (iii) an inclusive system of governance securing the basic rights of all citizens and (iv) an inclusive concept of citizenship;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Commends the Constitution Conciliation Committee for its commitment to a new Constitution and for the inclusive process of consultation of civil society, which reflected the diversity of Turkish society; encourages the Committee to continue its work and to tackle in a collegial way, and in line with the values of the EU, key issues such as (i) the separation of power and an adequate system of checks and balances, (ii) the protection of the democratic and secular nature of the state and relations between the State, society and religion, (iii) an inclusive system of governance securing the basic rightfundamental rights and freedoms of all citizens and (iv) an inclusive concept of citizenship;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Reaffirms the fundamental role of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) as the centre of Turkey's democratic system and stresses the importance of support and commitment amongst all political parties for the reform process, in particular a valuable legal framework protecting and enhancing fundamental rights for all communities, and lowering the threshold for new political parties; commends the work of the Human Rights Inquiry Committee and asks for a more central role of the EU Harmonisation Committee to promote the alignment of new legislation with the acquis or with European standards during the legislative process;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Welcomes the third judicial reform package as a step towards a comprehensive reform process in the area of the judiciary and fundamental rights; stresses however the crucial importance to continue the reform process with a fourth judicial reform package addressing (a) the issues related to the excessively broad definiabuse of anti-terrorism laws for politically tainted prosecutions of criminal offencetics, journalists uander the Criminal Law or the Anti-Terror Law opposition members without proving in a free and fair trail that such allegations are founded, with the urgent need to introduce a clear distinction between the promotion of terrorism and the incitement to violence and the expression of non- violent ideas, in order to safeguard freedom of expression, (b) the issue of the excessively long pre-trial detention periods, and (c) the need to allow full access to the prosecution file for defence lawyers;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7a (new)
Paragraph 7a (new)
7a. Stresses that the reform of the judicial system is an indispensable prerequisite for Turkey's modernization efforts to succeed and that such reform must lead to a modern, efficient, fully independent and impartial judicial system that guarantees due process of law for all citizens;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Recalls that freedom of expression and media pluralism are core European values and that a truly democratic society requires true freedom of expression, including the right of dissent; strongly deplores the continuing prosecutions against journalists and the persisting high number of imprisoned journalists ; underlines the importance of abolishing legislation providing for disproportionately high fines on the media, leading in some cases to their closure or to self-censorship, and the urgent need to reform the internet law; stresses the importance of tackling restrictions of fundamental freedoms in the broader context of the rule of law, both in terms of wording and application of the law;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Recalls that freedom of expression and media pluralism and digital freedoms are core European values and that a truly democratic society requires true freedom of expression, including the right of dissent; underlines the importance of abolishing legislation providing for disproportionately high fines on the media, leading in some cases to their closure or to self-censorship, and the urgent need to reform the internet law;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9a (new)
Paragraph 9a (new)
9a. considers the verdict in the Pinar Selek case on 24 January 2013 to be an obvious example of the shortcomings in Turkey's justice system and of the weakness of investigations in Turkey; considers this trial a demonstration of the deplorable lack of credibility of the judiciary in Turkey;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Welcomes the Law on the Ombudsman and the appointment of a first Head Ombudsman, who shall ensure the credibility of this institution through his decisions; stresses that the establishment of the Ombudsman is an important step in safeguarding the rights of citizens and ensuring accountability of the public administrationHead Ombudsman should promote public confidence in transparency and accountability in public services; reminds that the Head Ombudsman and board members should be elected among candidates who are non-partisan and impartial; calls on the board of the Ombudsman that the regulation on the internal decision-making process guarantees the independence and impartiality of the institution;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Notes that, in the ‘'sledgehammer’' trial a first instance court sentenced 324 suspects to 13-20 years after lengthy pre- trial detentions for suspects; stresses that investigations of alleged coup plans, such as the ‘'Ergenekon’' and ‘'Sledgehammer’' cases, must demonstrate the strength and the proper, independent, impartial and transparent functioning of Turkish democratic institutions and the judiciary, and their firm, unconditional commitment to respect for fundamental rights; in the absence of due process, verdicts lack legitimacy and credibility while causing a chilling effect, injustice and other collateral damage; is concerned about the allegations regarding the use of inconsistent and fabricated evidence; regrets that thes substance of the cases have been overshadowed by concerns about their wide scope and the shortcomings in the proceedings;
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Welcomes the Law on the protection of family and prevention of violence against women; commends the National Action Plan to combat Violence against Women (2012-2015) and stresses the need to enforce it effectively nationwide; calls on the Ministry for Family and Social Policies to continue its efforts to increase the number and quality of shelters for women and minors in danger; stresses the importance to provide women who have been victims of violence with concrete alternatives and self-sustainment prospects; urges Turkey to continue to step up its preventive efforts at all levels in the fight against ‘"honour killings’", domestic violence and the phenomenon of forced marriages and child brides; calls on the Ministry to continue to actively promote women's rights, education and their participation in the labour market, which remains low, in politics and at senior level in the administration and the private sector, if necessary by foreseeing reserved quotas;
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Stresses the urgent need for comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation and the establishment of an anti- discrimination and equality board to protect individuals against discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation or sexual identity; calls on Turkey to adopt an action plan to promote the full equality of rights and full acceptance of LGBT persons;
Amendment 225 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16a (new)
Paragraph 16a (new)
16a. Notes the increasing difficulties in buying alcoholic drinks; calls on the public authorities to actively defend secular lifestyles throughout the country;
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Is concerned about the disproportionally high poverty rates and child labour among children, particularly in rural areas; stresses the need for a comprehensive strategy to combat child poverty and labour and promote access to education for boys and girls alike; welcomes the establishment of an Ombudsperson for children's rights and the adoption of Turkey's first strategy on the rights of the child; is concerned that the number of active juvenile justice courts has decreased and urges Turkey to provide alternatives to detention for minors; recalls the importance of independent monitoring and protection mechanisms to protect rights and prevent abuse;
Amendment 273 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Is concerned about the disproportionally high poverty rate among children, particularly in rural areas; stresses the need for a comprehensive strategy to combat child poverty and labour and promote access to education; welcomes the establishment of an Ombudsperson for children's rights and the adoption of Turkey's first strategy on the rights of the child; is concerned that the number of active juvenile justice courts has decreased and urges Turkey to provide alternatives to detention for minors; calls for major improvements in the conditions of the detention centres for minors; recalls the importance of independent monitoring and protection mechanisms to protect rights and prevent abuse;
Amendment 393 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Supports Turkey's commitment to democratic forces in Syria and the provision of humanitarian assistance to Syrianrefugees who fled the country; asks the Commission, the Member States and the international community to support Turkey's efforts to cope with the growing humanitarian dimension of the Syrian crisis; underlines the importance of a common understanding and transparency between the EU and Turkey on how to deliver the available humanitarian assistance to the displaced Syrians currently on Turkish territory or waiting at its borders;
Amendment 395 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Supports Turkey's commitment to democratic forces in Syria and the provision of humanitarian assistance to Syrians who fled the country; asks the Commission, the Member States and the international community to support Turkey's efforts to cope with the growing humanitarian dimension of the Syrian crisis; underlines the importance of a common understanding between the EU and Turkey on how to deliver the available humanitarian assistance to the displaced Syrians currently on Turkish territory or waiting at its borders; underlines that beyond humanitarian assistance the EU and Turkey should actively seek to develop a joint strategic vision to achieve reinforced leverage to end the crisis in Syria;
Amendment 402 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Welcomes the decision to enhance cooperation between the EU and Turkey on a number of important energy issues and calls onencourages Turkey to commintinue its commitment to this cooperation; believes that, in view of Turkey's strategic role, initialwelcomes the meeting of the steering group in Ankara on 14 February 2013; believes that, in view of Turkey's strategic role and plentiful wind, solar and geothermal energy resources, consideration should be given to the value of opening negotiations on Chapter 15 on energy with a view to furthering the EU-Turkey strategic dialogue on energy; considers that both the enhanced EU- Turkey energy cooperation and any eventual negotiations on Chapter 15 should encourage the development of renewable energy potential and cross- border electricity transmission infrastructure;