Activities of Renate SOMMER related to 2018/2150(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
2018 Report on Turkey (debate) DE
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the 2018 Commission Report on Turkey PDF (170 KB) DOC (65 KB)
Amendments (28)
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 a (new)
Citation 1 a (new)
- having regard to its resolution of 15 April 2015 on the centenary of the Armenian Genocide1a _________________ 1a Texts adopted, P8_TA(2015)0094
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)
Citation 7 a (new)
- having regard to the call by Commissioner Hahn to officially end the accession talks and to take a new path towards a realistic strategic partnership,
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16
Citation 16
— having regard to the Commission recommendation of 21 December 2016 for a Council decision authorising the opening of negotiations with Turkey on an agreement on the extension of the scope of the bilateral preferential trade relationship and on the modernisation of the Customs Union, as well as the Council Conclusions of 26 June 2018 stating that no further work towards the modernisation of the EU-Turkey Customs Union is foreseen,
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the decision of 19 July 2018 to lifNotes that the state of emergency, which was introduced after the 2016 coup attempt and, has been extended 7 times; Welcomes, however, the decision of 19 July 2018 to lift the state of emergency; notes that the prolonged state of emergency has led to an erosion of the rule of law and deterioration of human rights in Turkey; regrets that the adoption of new legislative proposals preserves many of the abusive powers granted to the Ppresident and the executive under the state of emergency and thereby dampens any positive effect of its termination; is concerned about the serious backsliding in the areas of freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, freedom of association and procedural and property rights;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Notes that more than 300.000 passports have been cancelled with the start of State of Emergency in 2016; is very much concerned that in addition to the detainees, the passports of the relatives of the detainees and suspects have been cancelled; notes that no progress has been made after the presidential statement that promised the enabling of the passports of the relatives of detainees;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. RecallsIs deeply concerned that over 150 000 people were taken into custody in the post-coup crackdown and 78 000 have been arrested on terrorism charges, while more than 50 000 people remain in jail; notes that many of these detainees have been arrested only with evidence showing their links to the Gülen Movement such as banks they deposited their money in, schools their kids attended or their use of commercially available messaging app; expresses concern at the excessively lengthy pre-trial detention and judicial proceedings, the fact that in several cases no indictment has been issued yet, and the harshness of detention conditions; is particularly concerned at the fact that such arrests seem to also target legitimatetarget a wide range of people including voices of dissent or members of the opposition; is very worried at the allegations of ill-treatment and torture of those in prison, as reported by several human rights organisation including pregnant women, seriously ill individuals and children under the age six, as reported by several human rights organisations; is deeply concerned about the reports indicating that long term solitary confinement is applied very wide spread and turns into a second punishment for the detainees;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that since the introduction of the state of emergency more than 152 000 civil servants - including teachers, doctors, (peace) academics, judges and prosecutors - have been dismissed; notes that 125 000 people applied to the Inquiry Commission on the State of Emergency Measures (CoSEM), which is tasked with reviewing and deciding within two years on complaints against measures taken under the state of emergency and related decrees, and 89 000 of them are still awaiting a decision; notes that from the ones who received a response, only 7 percent of the applications have received a favourable outcome and the rest were all dismissed by the commission; is concerned about the narrow scope of the mandate of the Inquiry Commission, its lack of independence, and the fact that examinations are made on the sole basis of documents in the case-file, without participation of the person concerned; notes that the dismissals have had an extremely harsh impact on the individuals concerned and on their families, including financially, and come with a lasting social and professional stigma; calls on the Turkish government to ensure that all individuals have the right to have their cases reviewed by an independent court that can award compensation for the material and moral damage caused by their arbitrary dismissal;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Expresses concern at the shrinking space for civil society and the promotion of fundamental rights and freedoms; notes that a large number of activists, including human rights defenders, were arrested and demonstrations were recurrently banned during the state of emergency; calls on Turkey to protect the fundamental rights of minorities, such as LGBTI people, as well as religious minorities;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Is seriously concerned about the lack of respect for the freedom of religion, about continuous discrimination against religious minorities, including Christians and Alevis and violence on religious grounds, including verbal and physical attacks, stigmatisation and social pressure at schools, and problems in relation to legally establishing a place of worship; expects the Turkish government to treat every Turkish citizen without any prejudice towards his or her religious belief; calls on the Turkish authorities to promote positive and effective reforms in the area of freedom of thought, conscience and religion, by enabling religious communities to obtain legal personality, allowing charitable foundations to elect their governing bodies, eliminating all restrictions on the training, appointment and succession of the clergy, complying with the relevant judgements of the ECtHR and the recommendations of the Venice Commission and by eliminating all forms of discrimination or barriers based on religion; calls on Turkey to respect the distinct character and importance of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and to recognise its legal personality; reiterates the need to allow the reopening of the Halki Seminary and lift all obstacles to its proper functioning; urges the Turkish authorities to combat seriously all manifestations of anti-Semitism in society; calls on the Turkish government to implement the action plan it submitted in 2016 to the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers related to the ECtHR decisions on Cem Houses and on compulsory religion classes and to put in place a comprehensive legal framework in line with European standards; believes that appropriate attention must be paid to implementing the ECtHR judgments on compulsory religion and ethics classes, indication of religious affiliation on identity cards and Alevi worship places;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6 b. Calls on the Turkish government to respect and fully implement the legal obligations which it has entered into concerning the protection of cultural heritage, and, in particular, to draw up in good faith an integrated inventory of Greek, Armenian, Assyrian and other cultural heritage that was destroyed or ruined in the course of the last century; calls on Turkey to ratify the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions; calls on Turkey to cooperate with the relevant international organisations, especially the Council of Europe, in preventing and combating illicit trafficking and the deliberate destruction of cultural heritage;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6 c. Welcomes the Turkish government’s return of 50 Aramean churches, monasteries and cemeteries in Mardin, which had been confiscated by the state in recent years; deplores, however, that this concerns only the title deeds and not the associated lands; calls on Turkey to fully return the lands to its rightful owners;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 d (new)
Paragraph 6 d (new)
6 d. Is concerned about the severe impact of the current security legislation on the Aramean population in Tur Abdin;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 e (new)
Paragraph 6 e (new)
6 e. Deplores the ongoing preparatory works on the Ilisu dam, which will have devastating social, environmental and political effects; points out that the dam will put the originally Christian Aramean city of Hasankeyf underwater and thus threatens the collapse of an ancient monument famed for thousands of manmade caves; urges Turkey to do its utmost to avoid the destruction of 12,000 year old Aramean cultural heritage;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Is deeply worried about the disregard for basic human rights and the rule of law in the case of illegal abduction operations and extradition of 101 Turkish dissidents, which Turkey conducted without any prior trial or legal procedures in 18 countries including EU-neighbours, confirmed by the Turkish authorities' statement on 16 July 2018; is greatly concerned by such practices which are aggravated by illegal interference of secret services that is guided by political forces;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Notes that the state of emergency, as well as the provisions under the constitutional reform package, further constrained the capacity of the Grand National Assembly to fulfil its fundamental role of democratic scrutiny and accountability; notes with great concern the arrest of two members of parliament from the Republican People’s Party (CHP), as well as the way the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) has been particularly marginalised, with many HDP lawmakers being arrested on the grounds of alleged support for terrorist activities;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Stresses the importance of the fight against corruption and recalls the findings from the 2018 Report on Turkey that corruption remains prevalent in many areas and continues to be a serious problem; is concerned that the track record of investigation, prosecution and conviction in corruption cases remained poor, particularly regarding high-level corruption cases;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on the Commission and the Member States, taking all of the above into account and in accordance with the Negotiating Framework, to formally suspendterminate the accession negotiations with Turkey; remains, however, committed to democratic dialogue with Turkey; asksrecalls the invitation to the Commission, to use, during the formal suspension of negotiations, all funds available under IPA II and the futurehe Member States and Turkey to hold an open and honest discussion about the areas of mutual interest for which intensified cooperation would be possible; underlines that any political engagement between the EU and Turkey should be built on conditionality provisions concerning respect for democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights; believes, however, that the future relationship between the EU and Turkey can only be based on the Customs Union and not a membership to the EU; asks the Commission to use, after the formal termination of negotiations, all funds currently allocated under IPA III to support, through a dedicated envelope directly managed by the EU, Turkey’s civil society, and to increase opportunities for people-to-people contacts, academic dialogue, access for Turkish students to European universities and media platforms for journalists;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Notes that while the EU accession process was at its start a strong motivation for reforms in Turkey, there has been a starkmassive regression in the areas of the rule of law and human rights during the last few years; recallnotes that Parliament repeatedly called for the opening of Chapter 23 on Judiciary and Fundamental Rights and Chapter 24 on Justice, Freedom and Security atTurkey has been moving further away from the EU; deeply deplores the a ntime when the Turkish government had pledged to conduct serious reforms; regrets deeply that the accession instruments could not be used to the fullest extent owing to a continued blockage by the Council-EU rhetoric of the Turkish President which has clouded the mutual relationship and thus led to the current standstill in any negotiation process;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Believes that a door should be left open for the modernisation and upgrading of the 1995 Customs Union between the EU and Turkey, to include relevant areas such as agriculture, services and public procurement, which currently are not coveredNotes the decision of the Council that no further work towards the modernisation of the EU-Turkey Customs Union is foreseen; recalls that two thirds of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Turkey comes from EU Member States and that Turkey is an important growth market for the EU; believes that the upgrade would provide a valuable opportunity for democratic conditionality, positive leverage and the possibility of a roadmap where upgrading the Customs Union would go hand in hand with concrete commitments by Turkey on democratic reforms; believes further that the upgrading of the Customs Union would provide an important opportunity for policy dialogue on climate change as well as on labour rights in Turkey; calls onunderlines that the Customs Union can only reach its full potential when Turkey fully implements the Additional Protocol vis-à-vis all Member States; expects the Commission to startwait with any preparatory work for the upgradinge of the Customs Union as solong as the Turkish Ggovernment does not indicates its readiness for serious reforms; calls on the Commission to include in any potential future modernisation of the customs union a clause on human rights and fundamental freedoms, making human rights and fundamental freedoms a key conditionality;
Amendment 243 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Notes that visa liberalisation is of great importance for Turkish citizens, particularly for students, academics, business representatives and people with family ties in EU Member States; encourages the Turkish Government to fully comply with the 72 criteria identified in the visa liberalisation roadmap; stresses that the revision of Turkey’s anti-terrorism legislation is a key condition for ensuring fundamental rights and freedoms, and that visa liberalisation will be possible once all the criteria have been met;
Amendment 262 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Recalls the important role played by Turkey in responding to the migration crisis resulting from the war in Syria; takes the view that Turkey’s population has shown great hospitality by offering shelter to more than 3 million Syrian refugees; calls on the EU and its Member States to keep their promise regarding a large-scale resettlement, and to ensure adequate financial resources for the long-term support of Syrian refugees in Turkeytakes note of the EU-Turkey Statement of 18 March 2016;
Amendment 267 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Reiterates the need to strengthen good neighbourly relations; calls on Turkey, in this connection, to step up efforts to resolve outstanding bilateral issues, including unsettled legal obligations and disputes with its immediate neighbours over land and maritime borders and airspace, in accordance with the provisions of the UN Charter and with international law; calls on the Turkish Government to sign and ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); urges the Turkish Government to end the repeated violations of Greek airspace and territorial waters, as well as the practice of Turkish military aircraft flying over Greek islands; expresses its regret that the casus belli threat declared by the Turkish Grand National Assembly against Greece has not yet been withdrawn;
Amendment 276 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Calls on Turkey to further align its foreign policy with that of the EU in accordance with provisions of the Negotiating Framework;
Amendment 282 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18 b. Regrets that Turkey did not ratify the peace agreement with Armenia which was signed by both parties in 2009; urges Turkey and Armenia to proceed to normalise their relations by establishing diplomatic relations without preconditions, and calls for opening the Turkish-Armenia border, which could lead to improved relations, with particular reference to cross-border cooperation and economic integration;
Amendment 283 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18 b. Calls on the Turkish Government to halt its plans for the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant; requests that the Turkish Government join the Espoo Convention; asks the Turkish Government to involve, or at least consult, the governments of its neighbouring countries, such as Greece and Cyprus, during any further developments in the Akkuyu venture;
Amendment 296 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Welcomes the efforts by the UN to resume negotiations on the reunification of Cyprus; supports a fair, comprehensive and viable settlement in line with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the EU acquis; reiterates its call on Turkey to commit and contribute to a comprehensive settlement, to beginimmediately withdrawing its troops from Cyprus, to transfer the sealed- off area of Famagusta to the UN, and its lawful inhabitants, in accordance with UNSC Resolution550(1984), as an effort to pave the way for a democratic comprehensive settlement and to refrain from actions altering the demographic balance on the island; praises the important work of the Committee on Missing Persons; recognises the right of the Republic of Cyprus to enter into bilateral agreements concerning its exclusive economic zone; urges Turkey to engage in the peaceful settlement of disputes, and to refrain from any threat or action which might have negative effects on good neighbourly relationreiterates its calls on Turkey to respect the sovereign rights of all Member States, including those relating to the exploration and exploitation of natural resources when in line with the EU acquis and international law; urges Turkey to engage in the peaceful settlement of disputes, and to refrain from any threat or action damaging good neighbourly relations and a climate conducive to the peaceful settlement of bilateral disputes;
Amendment 309 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Deplores Turkey's refusal to fulfil its obligation of full, non-discriminatory implementation of the Additional Protocol to the EC-Turkey Association Agreement vis-a-vis all member states, including the Republic of Cyprus;
Amendment 315 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19 b. Deplores Turkey's policy of settlement and calls on Turkey to refrain from further settlement of Turkish citizens in the occupied areas of Cyprus, which is contrary to the Geneva Convention and the principles of international law; urges Turkey to terminate all actions that alter the demographic balance on the island thus impeding a future solution;