BETA

Activities of Laurence J.A.J. STASSEN related to 2012/2870(RSP)

Plenary speeches (1)

2016/11/22
Dossiers: 2012/2870(RSP)

Amendments (26)

Laurence J.A.J. STASSEN

Motion for a resolution
Citation 8

– having regard to the fact that accession negotiations with Turkey were opened on 3 October 2005 after the Council had approved the Negotiating Framework, and that the opening of such negotiations is the starting point for a ~~long-lasting and open- ended process based on fair and rigorous conditionality and the commitment to reform~~never-ending saga,

2013/02/12
Committee: AFET

Laurence J.A.J. STASSEN

Motion for a resolution
Citation 9

– having regard to the fact that Turkey has committed itself to reforms, good neighbourly relations and progressive alignment with the EU, and that these efforts should be viewed as an opportunity for Turkey itself to continue to modernise, and consolidate and further improve its democratic institutions, the rule of law and the observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms, ; having regard to the fact that Turkey is completely failing to achieve this and is thus demonstrating that it does not wish ever to accede to the EU, nor will it be able to;

2013/02/12
Committee: AFET

Laurence J.A.J. STASSEN

Motion for a resolution
Citation 10

~~– having regard to the fact that the EU should remain the benchmark for reforms in Turkey,~~deleted

2013/02/12
Committee: AFET

Laurence J.A.J. STASSEN

Motion for a resolution
Citation 11

– having regard to the fact that full compliance with the Copenhagen criteria and EU integration capacity, in accordance with the conclusions of the December 2006 European Council meeting, are~~main~~ the basis for accession to the EU~~, which is a community based on shared values, sincere cooperation and mutual solidarity amongst all its Member States~~; having regard to the fact that Turkey will never fully meet the criteria, or be able and willing to do so, and should therefore never accede to the EU,

2013/02/12
Committee: AFET

Laurence J.A.J. STASSEN

Motion for a resolution
Citation 12

– having regard to the fact that the ~~posit~~naive agenda was launched in May 2012 to support and complement the negotiations through enhanced cooperation in a number of areas of joint interest,

2013/02/12
Committee: AFET

Laurence J.A.J. STASSEN

Motion for a resolution
Citation 13

– having regard to the fact that in its conclusions of 11 December 2012 the Council endorsed the Commission's new approach to place the rule of law at the heart of the enlargement policy and confirmed the centrality in the negotiating process of chapter 23 on judiciary and fundamental rights and chapter 24 on justice, freedom and security, which should be tackled early in the negotiations to allow clear benchmarks and maximum time to establish the necessary legislation, institutions and solid track records of implementation; having regard to the fact that the results to date are anything but satisfactory,

2013/02/12
Committee: AFET

Laurence J.A.J. STASSEN

Motion for a resolution
Citation 14

– having regard to the fact that in its 2012 Enlargement Strategy the Commission concluded that, for its economy, strategic location and important regional role, Turkey is a key country for the European Union and that the accession process remains the most suitable framework for promoting EU-related reforms in Turkey; having regard to the fact that the Commissionthe Commission has rightly expressed concern regarding Turkey's lack of progress on the fulfilment of the political criteria,

2013/02/12
Committee: AFET

Laurence J.A.J. STASSEN

Motion for a resolution
Citation 15

– having regard to the fact that Turkey has still not implemented, for the seventh consecutive year, the provisions stemming from the EC-Turkey Association Agreement and the Additional Protocol thereto, thus demonstrating that Turkey will never be willing and able to accede to the EU,

2013/02/12
Committee: AFET

Laurence J.A.J. STASSEN

Motion for a resolution
Citation 16

– having regard to the fact that there is ~~an economic interdependence between the European Union and Turkey with~~ trade between the EU and Turkey totalling EUR 120 billion in 2011,

2013/02/12
Committee: AFET

Laurence J.A.J. STASSEN

Motion for a resolution
Citation 20

– having regard to the fact that EU dialogue and cooperation with Turkey on stability, democracy and security with particular reference to the broader Middle East are ~~strategic~~hopeless; having regard to the fact that Turkey strongly and repeatedly condemned the Syrian regime's violence against civilians and provides vital humanitarian assistance to Syrians fleeing violence across the border,

2013/02/12
Committee: AFET

Laurence J.A.J. STASSEN

Motion for a resolution
Citation 21

– having regard to the ~~need for~~fact that Turkey and Armenia ~~to proceed~~will only be able to a normalis~~ation of~~e their relations ~~by ratifying, without preconditions, the protocols and by opening the border~~once Turkey acknowledges the genocide against the Armenians,

2013/02/12
Committee: AFET

Laurence J.A.J. STASSEN

Motion for a resolution
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; 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;deleted

2013/02/12
Committee: AFET

Laurence J.A.J. STASSEN

Motion for a resolution
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 EU;deleted

2013/02/12
Committee: AFET

Laurence J.A.J. STASSEN

Motion for a resolution
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;deleted

2013/02/12
Committee: AFET

Laurence J.A.J. STASSEN

Motion for a resolution
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) 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;deleted

2013/02/12
Committee: AFET

Laurence J.A.J. STASSEN

Motion for a resolution
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; 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;deleted

2013/02/12
Committee: AFET

Laurence J.A.J. STASSEN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Fully supports the Commission’s new approach to open the chapters on the judiciary and fundamental rights and on justice and home affairs early on in the negotiation process and to close them as the very last ones; stresses that official benchmarks would provide a clear roadmap and would give a boost to the reform process; calls therefore on the Council for renewed efforts for the opening of Chapters 23 and 24;deleted

2013/02/12
Committee: AFET

Laurence J.A.J. STASSEN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Welcomes the law setting up the Turkish National Human Rights Institution (TNHRI); calls for its implementation without delay to promote and monitor the effective implementation of international human rights standards; stresses the importance of using all EU instruments available in the field of the promotion of human rights to actively support the setting-up and the well functioning of the TNHRI and the empowerment of civil society organisations;

2013/02/12
Committee: AFET

Laurence J.A.J. STASSEN

Motion for a resolution
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, 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 and non- Muslims;

2013/02/12
Committee: AFET

Laurence J.A.J. STASSEN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Deeply regrets Turkey’s decision to abstain from meetings and contacts with the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU ~~and takes the view that Turkey missed an important opportunity to start a process of engagement and normalisa~~; deeply regrets, moreover, that the EU did not take any action ofin re~~lations with Cyprus; recalls that the EU is based on the principles of sincere cooperation and mutual solidarity amongst all its Member States and respect for the institutional framework~~sponse to this; observes that in this way Turkey demonstrated that it has no desire to accede to the EU, nor will it ever be able to do so; considers that the accession negotiations with Turkey should be terminated immediately;

2013/02/12
Committee: AFET

Laurence J.A.J. STASSEN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Expresses once again its strong support to the reunification of Cyprus, based on a fair and viable settlement for both communities; underlines the urgency of an agreement between the two communities on how to proceed with the substantive settlement negotiations, so that the negotiating process, under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General, can soon regain momentum; calls on Turkey to begin withdrawing its forces fromObserves that Turkey’s occupation of the northern part of Cyprus, and transfer Famagusta to the UN in accordance with UNSC Resolution 550 (1984); calls, in parallel, on the Republic of Cyprus to open the port of Famagusta under EU customs supervision in order to promote a positive climate for the successful solution of the ongoing reunification negotiations and allow Turkish Cypriots to trade directly in a legal manner that is acceptable to allherefore of part of the EU’s territory, is illegal and should be ended immediately;

2013/02/12
Committee: AFET

Laurence J.A.J. STASSEN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Deplores Turkey’s refusal to fulfil its obligation of full, non-discriminatory implementation of the Additional Protocol to the EC-Turkey Association Agreement towards all Member States; ~~recall~~urges that th~~is refusal continues to deeply affect the process of negotiations~~e accession negotiations with Turkey be terminated immediately;

2013/02/12
Committee: AFET

Laurence J.A.J. STASSEN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)

26a. Observes that there are also any number of reasons why the accession negotiations with, and all EU funding of, Turkey should be terminated immediately and for concluding that Turkey should never accede to the EU: – Turkey is an Islamic country which, under President Abdullah Gül and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, of the 'Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi' (AK Party), is becoming increasingly Islamised; in addition, Turkey is a member of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), an organisation which ‘restricts’ human rights to ‘sharia’; – Turkey costs the EU billions of euros; since 2007, Turkey has already received billions of euros from the EU through the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance and EuropeAid; in addition, in 2013, Turkey will receive almost EUR 1 billion in grants from the EU; – membership of the EU for Turkey would create open borders with Turkey; – in 2050, Turkey would have the largest population of any EU country; as an EU Member State, the country would then have the most voting rights; – if Turkey accedes to the EU, the EU will have borders with Iran, Iraq and Syria; thus the EU’s external borders will be even worse than they are already; – Turkey is not a European country: geographically, 95% of Turkey is located outside Europe; – Turkey is corrupt: according to Transparency International'1, in 2012 Turkey scored only 49 on a scale from 1 to 100; that means that it is highly corrupt; – secularism is under pressure in Turkey: Prime Minister Erdoğan is settling scores rigorously with secular former generals; – freedom of expression is under pressure in Turkey: according to the report 'Turkey's Press Freedom Crisis'2, under the regime of Prime Minister Erdoğan the worst repression against journalists in a very long time is taking place. As at 1 August 2012, no fewer than 76 journalists were imprisoned in Turkey, simply for doing their job as journalists; – Turkey is occupying the northern part of Cyprus, an EU Member State; moreover, during Cyprus’s Presidency of the EU Turkey froze the accession negotiations; – Turkey does not acknowledge the genocide against the Armenians; moreover, Turkey opposes international recognition of the genocide. __________________ 1 http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2012/result s/ 2 http://cpj.org/reports/2012/10/turkeys- press-freedom-crisis-podcast.php

2013/02/12
Committee: AFET

Laurence J.A.J. STASSEN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Reiterates its condemnation, in the strongest terms, of the continuing terrorist violence by the PKK, which is on the EU list of terrorist organisations, and expresses its full solidarity to Turkey and to the families of the many victims; calls on the Member States, in close coordination with the EU counter terrorism coordinator and Europol, to intensify cooperation with Turkey in the fight against terrorism and organised crime as a source of financing of terrorism; calls on Turkey to adopt a data protection law and legislation on the financing of terrorism so that a cooperation agreement can be concluded with Europol and judicial cooperation with Eurojust and with the EU Member States can further develop; takes the view that the assignment of a police liaison officer to Europol would help improve bilateral cooperationTurkey to adopt a data protection law and legislation on the financing of terrorism;

2013/02/12
Committee: AFET

Laurence J.A.J. STASSEN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29

29. Welcomes the decision to enhance cooperation between the EU and Turkey on a number of important energy issues and calls on Turkey to commit to this cooperation; believes that, in view of Turkey's strategic role, initial 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;

2013/02/12
Committee: AFET

Laurence J.A.J. STASSEN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30

30. Calls on the Commission to continue its support to civil society organisations and people-to-people activities through an adequate funding of the Civil Society Dialogue, the EIDHR and Life Long Learning programmes, including culture- and media-related activities;deleted

2013/02/12
Committee: AFET