Activites

• 1998/10/12 Final act published in Official Journal
• 1998/09/17 Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • T4-0511/1998 summary

    Adopting the report by Mr Edward McMILLAN-SCOTT (PPE, UK) on customs union between the EU and Turkey, the European Parliament considered that customs union was working satisfactorily. It did, however, call for the social impact of customs union on Turkish society to be monitored. It supported proposals from Turkish civil society aimed at achieving improvements in Turkish democracy and human rights and stressed that Turkey?s application to join the EU, like that of every other applicant country, would be examined in the light of the Copenhagen criteria. It hoped that the dialogue for which provision was made in the Association Agreement would continue and asked for contacts between Parliament and Turkish political parties and foundations and the organisations of civil society to be encouraged. However, it regretted that some of the ministerial meetings between Turkish and European representatives in the trade and transport sector had not yet been held since customs union entered into force in 1995. The European Parliament reiterated that only projects approved by the Commission/Parliament interinstitutional working party could be granted a financial commitment under MEDA. The European Parliament called on the Council to inform it of any initiatives taken with the Turkish authorities allowing adoption of the financial regulation concerning special aid for Turkey to go ahead. It called on the Commission to consider if a specific budgetary item for Turkey should be included in the MEDA programme on democracy. It also called on the Commission to continue publishing an annual report on relations between the EC and Turkey without showing any indulgence. Noting that future relations between the European Union and Turkey cannot develop without financial intervention on the part of the European Union, it stated that the financial impact of proposals to consolidate customs union will be decided by the budgetary authority during the annual budgetary procedures. Welcoming the huge efforts made by Turkey to align its legislation and preferential regime with that of the European Union, it supported current and future initiatives to improve the implementation of all the administrative procedures of customs union. In order to help Turkey in its effort to adapt and restructure its economy, the European Parliament asked for priority to be given to sectors such as energy, the environment, vocational training and reform of the civil service. It also called on the Commission to assess the programmes for applicant countries with which Turkey might be associated (especially Socrates, Leonardo, Youth for Europe, Kaleidoscope, Raphaël, LIFE, SAVE, AIDS Prevention and Equal Opportunities for Men and Women). The European Parliament called on Turkey to assist the resumption of intercommunal talks on the basis of the UN resolutions and the agreements on a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation and to withdraw its military forces from Cyprus. It also supported the action described by the Commission in its report on democratization, safeguarding human rights and political control of the armed forces; the establishment of good neighbourly relations Greece and Turkey; respect for the principles of international law in resolving differences in the Aegean and the Cyprus question. As far as the Kurdish question was concerned, it stated that there could be no military solution to this question and asked the authorities to begin negotiations with organisations representing the Kurdish people in order to respond to their demands for freedom and autonomy. It pointed to the need for a ceasefire and asked the Turkish authorities to seek a peaceful negotiated political solution to the Kurdish question. Condemning the invasion of northern Iraq and the unstable political situation in the Kurdish security zone, it asked for the immediate release of Leyla Zana and other political prisoners. Finally, it insisted that political dialogue with Turkey should be relaunched.�

• 1998/09/16 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament
• 1998/06/23 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • A4-0251/1998
• #2011
• 1997/06/02 Council Meeting
• 1996/11/28 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
• 1996/10/30 Non-legislative basic document published
  • COM(1996)0491 summary

    OBJECTIVE: first annual report on the implementation of the customs union with Turkey and on the economic aspects and the human rights situation in this country. SUBSTANCE: This report reviews the developments in the relations of the Community with Turkey since the entry into force of the Customs Union on 31 December 1995: - on the functioning of the Customs Union itself, the report confirms that the customs duties and charges having equivalent effect have been abolished, as have quantitative restrictions. The Customs Union is thus functioning satisfactorily and at present there are no longer any quantitative restrictions or import or export duties in the industrial sector in trade with Turkey. - in economic terms the impact of the customs union is still unclear as there is insufficient statistical data to allow a proper analysis to be made. However, European exports to Turkey have risen sharply since 1996 and there has been a smaller growth in exports from Turkey to the Union. The economic health of this country is not at present a matter for concern as growth during the first quarter of 1996 was 8%. The principal concern remains the macro-economic stability and Turkey's budget deficit which continues to grow. - as regards financial cooperation, as the financial regulation has still not been adopted by the Council (no unanimity following the events at Imia) the budgetary aid of ECU 375 million has still not yet been made available to this country. - there is most cause for concern as regards the political situation: the last elections enabled Mr Erbakan (REFAH Islamic party) to take up power in coalition with the DYP party (Mrs CILLER's party, who is currently deputy Prime Minister of Turkey). However, since the establishment of this new coalition legislative activity has been virtually at a standstill, which has also slowed down the expected developments as regards the strengthening of the democratization process. At the same time, the events in early 1996 involving the islands of Imia in the Aegean have considerably aggravated relations between Turkey and Greece and between Turkey and the Union as a whole. The difficult political situation in Turkey and the problems associated with the events on Imia have done little to enusre progress on the problem of Cyprus. The violent incidents in Cyprus in August 1996 clearly helped to worsen the tension on the island and have served to convince international opinion that cohabitation of the Turkish-Cypriot and Greek-Cypriot communities as part of a single Federal state was 'impossible'. - as regards human rights the situation is hardly improved: because of the political situation the 1995 reforms (constitutional reform, amendment of Article 8 of the anti-terrorism law, etc.) have in the end not had any practical effect as prosecution for expression of opinions still continue to occur (although in smaller numbers). With regard to measures specifically against torture and ill-treatment, disappearances and extrajudicial executions, there has not been any major progress either. These practices have also been the subject of vigorous condemnation on the part of the EU Presidency. The situation in the prisons is also a matter for concern where dramatic hunger strikes have drawn attention to the appalling conditions of detention for Turkish prisoners. Furthermore, the state of emergency in the south-east provinces of Turkey has still not been lifted. Similarly, the Kurdish problem, far from being resolved has become bogged down and associations are now bearing the cost of government repression of the Kurdish cause and in particular its action against the Kurdish party PKK (which the Turks consider to be a terrorist party). While the Commission criticizes the criminal activities of the PKK (combated by several Member States), it stresses that action against this movement must not stand in the way of the recognition of the rights, particularly the cultural rights, of Turkish citizens of Kurdish origin, whilst still respecting Turkey's unity and integrity. In conclusion, although not particularly encouraging, the efforts made by Turkey in recent months should not halt Turkish-European partnership. This is in any case the Commission's wish, which considers that the Union should remain a full partner of Turkey, in particular to deal with the tension in the Aegean and in Cyprus. �

Documents

• Non-legislative basic document published: COM(1996)0491
• Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading: A4-0251/1998
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T4-0511/1998

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)