Activities of Antigoni PAPADOPOULOU related to 2013/2945(RSP)
Plenary speeches (1)
2013 progress report on Turkey (debate)
Amendments (20)
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13
Citation 13
– having regard to the fact that, in its conclusions of 11 December 2012, the Council endorsed the Commission's new approach, though not applicable to Turkey, to place the rule of law at the heart of the enlargement policy and confirmed the centrality in the negotiating process of Cchapter 23 (judiciary and fundamental rights) and Cchapter 24 (justice, freedom and security), which should be tackled early in the negotiations to allow clear benchmarks and sufficient time to introduce the necessary changes in legislation, reforms of institutions and thus solid track records of implementation,
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16
Citation 16
– having regard to the fact that, for its own benefit, and with a view to enhancing stability and promoting good neighbourly relations and positive political and economic partnership, Turkey needs to step up its efforts to solve outstanding bilateral issues, including unsettled legal obligations and land and maritime border and airspace disputes with its immediate neighbours, in accordance with the provisions of the UN charter and with international law,
Amendment 65 #
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 andWelcomes the signing of the readmission agreement, as well as the initiation of the dialogue on visa liberalisation between the European Commission and Turkish authorities, looking forward to the swift ratification of the readmission agreement and its full and effective implementation vis-à-vis all Member States; progress in the dialogue on visa liberalisation will be founded on a performance based approach and conditioned on effective and consistent implementation by Turkey of the readmission agrequirement ands in the visa roadmap leading to visa liberalisationvis-à-vis the EU and all its Member States; recalls that Turkey is one of the key transit countries for irregular migration to the EU and therefore calls on Turkey to sign and implement the readmission agreement without further delay; calls on the Commission in parallel to take steps towards visa liberalisation and stresses the clear benefits of facilitating access to the EU for business people, academics, students and representatives of civil societyfully and effectively implement the existing bilateral readmission agreements and readmission provisions contained in similar agreements without further delay towards all Member States; to intensify furthermore its cooperation with the EU on migration policy issues; to fight against human trafficking and border controls;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Takes the view that the protests in Gezi Park testify both to the existence in Turkey of a vibrant civil society and also the need for further vital and immediate 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 delay; 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 underline the need for far- reaching reforms in order to ensure respect for freedom of assembly;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Expresses concerns at the very limited coverage of the Gezi Park events by Turkish media and the dismissal of journalists who criticised the Government’s reactions to such events; criticizes the fact that presently, an estimate of 15 000 websites are blocked in Turkey, the Government refuses to repeal regressive legislation such as Article 8 of the Anti-Terror Act and many human rights activists are jailed under Article 301 of the Penal Code, thus making it a crime to "denigrate Turkishness"; reiterates its concern on the practice of bringing criminal prosecutions against human rights defenders, activists and journalists who communicate evidence of human rights violations or raise other issues of public interest; considers the criminalisation of opinion as a key obstacle to the full protection of human rights in Turkey; criticizes moreover, the authoritative way by which security services monitored social media accounts in order to arrest thousands of citizens; 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 and military officers currently in pre-trial detention and calls on Turkey’s judicial authorities to review and address these cases as soon as possible;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Insists that any trials against journalists should be carried out in a transparent manner, respecting the rule of law and ensuring appropriate conditions, such as providing venues that are suited to the type of hearings being held, distributing accurate transcripts to detained persons and providing information to the journalists regarding the charges brought against them;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Expresses deep concern both for Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan weathered international criticism for last summer's violent crackdown against peaceful protesters, but also for the recent revelations of corruption by senior members of his Justice and Development Party (AKP) that have sparked more street protests; underlines that the revolt against the Turkish Prime Minister and AKP clearly shows the deep divide between secular modernity and Islamic tradition in Turkey; is concerned that Erdogan Government has been accused of inhibiting the effective investigation of the corruption case and calls therefore the Government of Turkey, to ensure no further escape from a massive graft investigation in addition to proceeding into extensive restructuring of the judicial system;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Reaffirms its support to the Commission’s new approach of opening Chapters 23 (judiciary and fundamental rights) and 24 (justice and home affairs) early in the negotiation process and closing them at the end, for new accession countries, though not applicable to Turkey; stresses that delivering the official benchmarks for the opening of such Chapters to Turkey would provide a clear roadmap for and give a boost to the reform process; calls, therefore, on the Council to make renewedsimilar efforts for the opening of Chapters 23 and 24; calls on Turkey to cooperate as much as possible to this effect for Turkey, an old accession country candidate, as long as the latter cooperates fully to this effect, by fulfilling the prerequisite of implementing the additional Protocol and recognising the Republic of Cyprus;
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Recalls that education plays a pivotal role in the process of building an inclusive and diverse society built on respect for religious communities and minorities; urges the Government of Turkey to pay special attention to educational materials in schools, which should reflect ethnic and religious plurality and plurality of beliefs in Turkish society, eliminate discrimination and prejudice and promote the full acceptance of all religious communities and minorities, and stresses the need for unbiased learning materials;
Amendment 204 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Expresses support for the database on violence against women currently under preparation by the Ministry for Family and Social policies; asks to complement existing legislation on the creation of shelters for women who are victims of domestic violence with adequate follow-up mechanisms where municipalities fail to establish such shelters; supports the efforts of the Minister for Family and Social policies to raise penalties for forced early marriages, which must be eradicated; stresses the importance of providing women and girls who have been victims of violence with concrete alternatives and self-sustainment prospects; underlines also the importance of tackling poverty amongst women and of increasing the social inclusion of women; welcomes the government’s efforts to increase the schooling of girls, as a result of which the gender gap in primary education is almost closed, and calls on the government to take all the necessary measures to diminish the gender gap in secondary education too; renews its concern at the low level of women’s participation in the labour force, in politics and at senior level in the administration and encourages the Government to make gender equality a priority of its reform efforts, adopting adequate measures to promote a more central role of women in the economic and political fabric of Turkey; calls on political parties to take specific action so as to further encourage women’s active engagement and empowerment for participation in politics;
Amendment 250 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls on the Government of Turkey to sign and ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which is part of the acquis communautaire, without further delay and recalls the full legitimacy of the Republic of Cyprus’s exclusive economic zone; calls on Turkey to respect the sovereign rights of all EU Member States which include, inter alia, the right to entering into bilateral agreements, and to explore and exploit their natural resources in accordance with the EU acquis and international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea; also stresses the need to respect the sovereignty of Member States over their territorial sea; regrets Turkey’s continuous violations of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and jurisdictions within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Republic of Cyprus, by issuing statements objecting to drilling operations by the Republic of Cyprus and by threatening retaliation against companies participating in the Cypriot exploration;
Amendment 256 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Reiterates its strong support for the reunification of Cyprus, based on a fair and viable settlement for both communities; asks Turkey to actively support the negotiations aimed at a fair, comprehensive and viable settlement and the issuing of a common statement, clarifying the principles of the negotiation process under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General and in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions and the values and principles on which the EU is founded; calls on Turkey to immediately begin withdrawing its forces from Cyprus and to transfer the sealed-off area of Famagusta to the UN in accordance with UNSC Resolution 550 (1984); calls 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 to allow Turkish Cypriots to trade directly in a legal manner that is acceptable to all; takes note of the proposals by the Government of Cyprus to address the above issuestakes note of the proposals by the Government of Cyprus to address the above issues; regrets, in parallel, Turkey’s rejection of the proposal of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus in 2010 for, inter alia, opening the port of Famagusta under the auspices of the European Union which would allow for commercial transactions between the EU and the Turkish-Cypriots, through the port of Famagusta;
Amendment 272 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. WelcomesTakes note of Turkey’s decision to grant the Committee on Missing Persons access to a fenced military area in the northern part of Cyprus and encouragescalls on Turkey to allow the Committee tofull access to all relevant archives and military zones for exhumation; calls for special consideration and respect for the work done by the Committee on Missing Persons;
Amendment 276 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Calls on Turkey to terminate present illegal settlement and to refrain from any new future illegal settlement of Turkish citizens on the island, as this would deteriorate further the existing demographic distortion and allegiance of citizens on the island; calls on Turkey to address the issue, in accordance with the Geneva Convention and the principles of International Law;
Amendment 285 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Stresses the importance of a coherent and comprehensive security approach in the Eastern Mediterranean, and calls on Turkey to allow political dialogue between the EU and NATO by lifting its veto on EU-NATO cooperation including Cyprus, and calls, in parallel, on the Republic of Cyprus to lift its veto on Turkey’s participation in the European Defence Agency; welcomes the Republic of Cyprus’ intention to join NATO’s Partnership for Peace Programme, which can be a game changer and urges Turkey to adopt an equally constructive attitude;
Amendment 299 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Deplores Turkey’s refusalthat despite repeated calls, Turkey has not complied with its obligations outlined in the Declaration of the European Community and its Member States of 21 Sept. 2005 and refused to fulfil its obligation of full, non- discriminatory implementation of the Additional Protocol to the EC-Turkey Association Agreement towards all Member States; recalls that this refusal continues to have a profound effect on the negotiation processsuch non- compliance and refusal to recognize the Republic of Cyprus continues to have a profound effect on the negotiation process; deeply regrets for statements, threats and actions of Turkish officials against a Member State, or source of friction or actions which could damage good neighbourly relations and the peaceful settlement of disputes; urges therefore Turkey to fulfil its obligations and to implement the protocol in full without further delay;
Amendment 303 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Deeply regrets Turkey’s decision to abstain from meetings and contacts with the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU (second half of 2012) and takes the view that Turkey missed an important opportunity to start a process of engagement and normalisation of relations 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; recalls that recognition of all EU Member states is a necessary component of the accession process. accordingly, Turkey is urged to proceed with normalisation of its relations with all EU Member states the soonest the possible, including lifting its veto of EU Member states membership of several international organizations;
Amendment 305 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)
Paragraph 24 b (new)
24b. Regrets the cancelling by Turkey of the 70th JPC meeting and its negative impact on the interparliamentary political dialogue; notes the lack of sanctions for such refusal;
Amendment 306 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 c (new)
Paragraph 24 c (new)
24c. Underlines the importance of a comprehensive monitoring of the implementation of the Instrument for Pre- Accession Assistance (IPA) to Turkey, with a view to prioritising targets and projects that are in full line with Turkey’s accession criteria;
Amendment 318 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. BWelieves that, in view of Turkey’s strategic role as an energy hub, consideration should be given to the value of opening negotiations on Chapter 15 on energy; underlines thatcomes cooperation between the EU and Turkey on a number of important green energy issues and calls on Turkey to commit itself that green energy and climate efficiency priorities need to be addressed;