Activities of Laurence J.A.J. STASSEN related to 2013/2945(RSP)
Plenary speeches (1)
2013 progress report on Turkey (debate)
Amendments (23)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 a (new)
Citation 1 a (new)
– having regard to the progress report for 2013 which Turkey’s Minister for EU Affairs and accession negotiator drew up himself in response to that of the Commission; whereas this progress report is far from objective, makes no mention of issues which the Turkish authorities find embarrassing and is tantamount to a candidate marking his own examination paper;
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7
Citation 7
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9
Citation 9
– having regard to the fact that accession negotiations with Turkey – a never-ending process – were opened on 3 October 2005 and; whereas since thaten 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 reformgulf between the EU and Turkey has not been narrowed but has constantly widened,
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 10
Citation 10
– having regard to the fact that Turkey has committed itself to the fulfilment of the Copenhagen criteria, adequate and effective reforms, good neighbourly relations and progressive alignment with the EU; having regard to the fact that these efforts should be viewed as an opportunity for Turkey to continue its process of modernisationTurkey is by no means honouring this commitment,
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 11
Citation 11
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 14
Citation 14
– having regard to the fact that, in its 2013 Enlargement Strategy, the Commission concluded that, for its economy, strategic location and important regional role, Turkey is a strategic partner for the European Union and a valuable component of EU economic competitiveness and that important progress on reforms was made in the preceding twelve months; having regard to the fact that the Commission called for further reforms and the promotion of dialogue across the political spectrum in Turkey and in Turkish society at large,
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 17
Citation 17
– having regard to the fact that Turkey has the potential to play a pivotal role in diversifying energy resources and routes for oil, gas and electricity transit from neighbouring countries to the EU and that there is a potential for both Turkey and the EU to benefit from Turkey's rich renewable energy resources in creating a sustainable low-carbon economy,
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 1
Subheading 1
Turkey’s failure 1: Credible Commitment and Strong Democratic Foundations
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. WelcomNotes the 2013 Progress Report on Turkey and shares; dissociates itself from the Commission's conclusion that Turkey is a strategic partner for the European Union and that ‘important progress on reforms was made in Turkey in the preceding twelve months’; underlines the importance and urgent need of further at these so-called 'reforms' and the promotion of dialogue across the political spectrum and in society more broadly, as well as the respect of fundamental rights in practicere a farce and that, contrary to the impression given, Turkey is constantly regressing;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes the transformative power ofat the launch of the accession negotiations between the EUnion and Turkey, which have provided Turkey with a clear reference for its reform process; stresses therefore the importance of credible negotiations based on a mutual commitment by Turkey and the Union to effective refas a massive error – further confirmed by the developments in the past year, such as (1) the excessive police violence employed on the instructions of the Turkish Government, by means of which largely peaceful demonstrations were brutally repressed all over the country from May 2013 onwards, and the numerous arrests of demonstratorms furthering the democratic foundations of Turkish society, promoting fundamental values and producing positivand journalists which accompanied it, and (2) the corruption scandal within the Turkish Government, as a result of which ten ministers, including the Minister for EU Affairs and accession negotiator, Egemen Bağış, had to leave their posts, and the attempts by Prime Minister Erdoğan to conceal the scandal by on the one change in thd replacing senior police officers who were investitutions, in legislationgating the corruption with ‘friends’ favourable to him and, i on the mentality of society; welcomes, therefore the opening of Chapter 22other hand by seeking to introduce a law permitting only senior police officers, and not those of lower rank, to investigate corruption, thereby reserving such investigations for his ‘friends’; urges that the accession negotiations between the EU and Turkey be definitively terminated;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses the importance of achieving a common understanding between Turkey and the EU on the relevance for both the EU and Turkey of the readmission agreement and the roadmap leading to visa liberalisation; rRecalls that Turkey is one of the key transit countries for irregular migration to the EU and therefore calls on Turkey to sign and implement; stresses that it was a massive error to combine the negotiations on the readmission agreement without further delay those on visa liberalisation; calls on the Commission in parallel to takto reverse the future steps towards visa liberalisation and stresses the clear benefits of facilitating access to the EU for business people, academics, students and representatives of civil societpledged to Turkey;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 2
Subheading 2
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Points out that the EU could call upon and urge the Turkish authorities to carry out many reforms, but that Turkey simply does not want to do so, nor can it or will it; urges that the accession negotiations between the EU and Turkey be definitively terminated;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. WelcomesPoints out that the democratisation package presented by the Government on 30 September 2013 and calls on the Government to duly consult the opposition and relevant civil society organisations in the preparation of the implementing legislation and to continue with its reform efforts towards revision of the electoral system, including the lowering of the 10% threshold, and the adequate inclusion of all components of Turkish societyis a huge farce, in view inter alia of recent developments; calls on the Government to ensure that the legislation on hate crimes offers protection for all citizens, including minorities, such as Christian and Jews, and LGBTI;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Takes the view that the protests in Gezi Park and elsewhere in the country testify both to the existence in Turkey of a vibrant civil society and also the need for further vital reforms on the promotion of fundamental values; highlights the importance of including civil society more structurally in the decision making process; deeply regrets the loss of life amongst the protesters and the police forces, the excessive use of force by the police and the violent acts by a number of protesters; welcomes the on-going administrative investigations launched by the Ministry of Interior and the inquiries by the Ombudsman into complaints related to the events in Gezi Park and expects them to fully address the concerns without delalsewhere in the country; calls on Turkey to adopt adequate internal review procedures and to establish an independent supervisory body for police offences; is of the opinion that the Gezi Park events and those elsewhere in the country underline the need for far- reaching reforms in order to ensure respect for freedom of expression, of the press and of assembly;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Expresses concerns at the very limited coverage of the Gezi Park events by Turkish mediaand of those elsewhere in the country by Turkish media, partly due to censorship, particularly self-censorship, and the dismissal and/or arrest of journalists who criticised the Government’s reactions to such events; stresses that this demonstrates the repressive character of Erdoğan’s regime; recalls that freedom of expression and media pluralism are at the heart of European values and that an independent press is crucial to a democratic society; reiterates once again its concern at the fact that most media are owned by and concentrated in, large conglomerates with a wide range of business interests and points out to the worrying widespread phenomenon of self- censorship by media owners and journalists; expresses concern at the particularly high number of journalists currently in pre-trial detention and calls on Turkey’s judicial authorities to review and address these cases as soon as possible;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Notes that the implementation of the third judicial reform package has led to the release of a significant number of detainees and welcomes the fourth judicial reform package as another important step towards a judiciary in Turkey in line with EU standards and values; notes, in particular, (i) the new, important distinction between freedom of expression, of the press and of assembly and incitement to violence or to committing acts of terrorism, (ii) the limitation of the offence of praising a crime or a criminal to instances where there is a clear and imminent danger to public order and (iii) the narrowing down of the scope of the offence of committing a crime in the name of an organisation, without being a member of it, to armed organisations only;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 13 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Urges that the accession negotiations between the EU and Turkey be definitively terminated;
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Strongly supports the Government’s initiative to strive for a settlement of the Kurdish problem on the basis of negotiations with the PKK; encourages the Government to devise the reforms directed at promoting the social, cultural and economic rights of the Kurdish community on the basis of adequate consultation of relevant stakeholders and the opposition; calls on the opposition to actively support the negotiations and the reforms as an important step for the benefit of Turkish society at large; calls on the Turkish authorities to cooperate closely with the European Commission to assess which programs under IPA could be used to promote sustainable development in the South East in the framework of negotiations on Chapter 22;
Amendment 239 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 3
Subheading 3
Amendment 266 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Recalls that in 1974 Turkey invaded Cyprus, since when it has been occupying the northern part of the island; observes that Turkey does not recognise Cyprus, which means that, in part, it does not recognise the EU;
Amendment 295 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 4
Subheading 4