2021/2250(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 a (new)

— having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/1529 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 September 2021 establishing the Instrument for Pre- Accession assistance (IPA III);

Amendment 10 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 b (new)

— having regard to the Council Conclusions of 2018, 2019 and 2021 to the effect that the accession negotiations effectively have come to a standstill and no further chapters can be considered for opening or closing and no further work towards the modernisation of the EU- Turkey Customs Union is foreseen,

Amendment 100 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

D a. whereas, despite the adoption on 2 March 2021 of an Action Plan on Human Rights by Turkey, there is significant room for improvement concerning the situation of fundamental rights; whereas there is dire need for progress on protection of LGBTI people;

Amendment 101 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

D a. whereas Turkey's withdrawal from the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (the Istanbul Convention) is undermining progress made on women's protection against violence;

Amendment 102 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

D a. whereas the Constitutional Court has in the past banned six pro-Kurdish political parties;

Amendment 103 #

Susanna CECCARDI, Anna BONFRISCO, Marco ZANNI, Thierry MARIANI

Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)

D b. whereas the ECtHR has repeatedly found that closing down political parties violates the right to association under Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights; whereas in its conclusions of 24 June 2021 the European Council states that the targeting of political parties represents a major setback for human rights and runs counter to Turkey’s obligations to respect democracy and the rule of law and that dialogue on this issue remains an integral part of EU-Turkey relations;

Amendment 104 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)

D b. Whereas an arrest warrant was issued by a Turkish court for Olympic swimmer Derya Büyükuncu and seven others for a comment he made to an Erdogan’s tweet. Whereas according to various Turkish media, Büyükuncu is accused of having "insulted Erdogan": insulting the president in Turkey is subject to criminal charges under the controversial Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), a crime for which one risks up to 4 years of imprisonment;

Amendment 105 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)

D b. whereas Turkey has allowed the EU-listed terror organisation Hamas to operate in the country for many years and Hamas operatives have received red carpet treatment from Ankara; whereas reportedly in recent months, Turkey has stated that it may reduce the Hamas presence in the country, however, no evidence to such effect have been noted;

Amendment 106 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D c (new)

D c. whereas religious freedom conditions remain worrisome in Turkey as the Turkish authorities continue to implement restrictive and intrusive policies on minority religious practice; whereas 2021 marked an increase in incidents of vandalism and societal violence against religious minorities; whereas religious minorities in Turkey have expressed concerns that governmental rhetoric and policies contribute to an increasingly hostile environment and implicitly encourages acts of societal aggression and violence;

Amendment 107 #

Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Reiterates its concern about the persistent distance between the EU and Turkey, despite it being a candidate country, in terms of values and standards, and the continuing lack of political will to carry out the necessary reforms to address, in particular, the serious concerns about the rule of law and fundamental rights that continue to negatively affect the accession ~~process; considers that without clear progress in this field, Parliament cannot envisage any resumption of accession negotiations with Turkey, which have effectively been at a standstill since 2018~~process; notes that in spite of Turkey’s repeated declarations on the objective of EU accession, the country lacks credible commitment in carrying out the necessary reforms; stresses that, over the past two years, we have witnessed a constant backsliding in regard to Turkey’s commitments in relation to the accession process; considers that without clear progress in this field, Parliament cannot envisage any resumption of accession negotiations with Turkey, which have effectively been at a standstill since 2018; notes that, in recent months, some positive developments have appeared and the government of Turkey adopted a more cooperative attitude, but much more still needs to be done and in a more convincing manner; encourages both sides to review their current relationship throughout a comprehensive high-level dialogue and to explore a new special partnership for the future;

Amendment 108 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Reiterates its concern about the persistent distance between the EU and Turkey, despite it being a candidate country, in terms of values and standards, and the continuing lack of political will to have good neighbourly relations with the EU Member States and to carry out the necessary reforms to address, in particular, the serious concerns about the rule of law ~~and~~, fundamental rights that continue to negatively affect the accession process; considers that without clear progress in this field, Parliament cannot envisage any resumption of accession negotiations with Turkey, which have effectively been at a standstill since 2018; recalls that the accession process is and will remain a merit-based process fully dependent on the objective progress achieved by each country;

Amendment 109 #

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

Amendment 11 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 4

— having regard to the Council conclusions of 26 June 2018 and 18 June 2019 on enlargement and stabilisation and association process, to the Council conclusions of 15 July and 14 October 2019 on Turkey’s illegal drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean, to the European Council conclusions of 12 December 2019, 1-2 and 15-16 October 2020, to the Statement of the EU foreign ministers of 15 May 2020 and the main results of their videoconference of 14 August 2020 on the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, to the outcome of the informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Gymnich of 27-28 August 2020, to the Statement of the Members of the European Council of 25 March 2021 on the Eastern Mediterranean, to the European Council’s conclusions of 24 June 2021 and 1 October 2020, and to all previous relevant Council and European Council conclusions,

Amendment 110 #

Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, Stelios KYMPOUROPOULOS, Maria SPYRAKI, Elissavet VOZEMBERG-VRIONIDI, Emmanouil KEFALOGIANNIS, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Georgios KYRTSOS, Theodoros ZAGORAKIS, Lefteris CHRISTOFOROU, Loucas FOURLAS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

Amendment 111 #

Jaak MADISON, Harald VILIMSKY, Bernhard ZIMNIOK, Thierry MARIANI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Reiterates its concern about the persistent distance between the EU and Turkey~~, despite it being a candidate country,~~ in terms of values and standards, and the continuing lack of political will to carry out the necessary reforms to address, in particular, the serious concerns about the rule of law and fundamental rights that continue to negatively affect the accession process; considers that without clear progress in this field, Parliament cannot envisage any resumption of accession negotiations with Turkey, which have effectively been at a standstill since 2018, including freedom of expression and freedom of religion;

Amendment 112 #

Malik AZMANI, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

Amendment 113 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Reiterates its concern about the persistent and growing distance between ~~the EU and Turkey~~Turkey’s government and EU values and standards, despite it being a candidate country, in terms of values and standards, and the continuing lack of political will to carry out the necessary reforms to address, in particular, the serious concerns about the rule of law and fundamental rights that continue to negatively affect the accession process; considers that without clear and significant progress in this field, Parliament ~~cannot envisage any resumpt~~firmly insists therefore that, in line with the Negotiating Framework from October 2005, the Commission should recommend formal suspension of accession negotiations with Turkey, which have effectively been at a standstill since 2018;

Amendment 114 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

Amendment 115 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Reiterates its concern about the ~~persistent~~growing distance between the EU and Turkey, despite it being a candidate country, in terms of values and standards, and the continuing lack of political will to carry out the necessary reforms to address, in particular, the serious concerns about the rule of law and fundamental rights ~~that continue to negatively affect the accession process~~; considers that, without ~~clear~~immediate, clear and visible progress in this field, Parliament ~~can~~must not envisage any resumption of accession negotiations with Turkey, which have effectively been at a standstill since 2018; urges the Council and the Commission to end irrevocably all negotiations on Turkey’s accession to the EU;

Amendment 116 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Reiterates its con~~cer~~demnation about the persistent distance between the EU and Turkey, despite it being a candidate country, in terms of values and standards, and the continuing lack of political will to carry out the necessary reforms to address, in particular, the serious concerns about the rule of law and fundamental rights ~~that continue to negatively affect the accession process; considers that without clear progress in this field,~~; considers that Parliament cannot envisage any resumption of accession negotiations with Turkey, which have effectively been at a standstill since 2018;

Amendment 117 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Reiterates its concern about the persistent distance between the EU and Turkey, despite it being a candidate country, in terms of European values and standards, and the continuing lack of political will to carry out the necessary reforms to address, in particular, the serious concerns about the rule of law and fundamental rights that continue to negatively affect the accession process; considers that without clear progress in this field, Parliament cannot envisage any resumption of accession negotiations with Turkey, which have effectively been at a standstill since 2018;

Amendment 118 #

Arba KOKALARI, Tomas TOBÉ, Jessica POLFJÄRD, Jörgen WARBORN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. ~~Reiterates its concern about the persistent~~Acknowledges the natural cultural and political distance between the EU and Turkey, despite it being a candidate country, in terms of values and standards, and the continuing lack of political will to carry out the necessary reforms to address, in particular, the serious concerns about the rule of law and fundamental rights that ~~continue to negatively affect~~make the accession process impossible; considers that ~~without clear progress~~, in this field, Parliament cannot envisage any resumption of accession negotiations with Turkey, which have effectively been at a standstill since 2018;

Amendment 119 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

Amendment 12 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 4

— having regard to the Council conclusions of 26 June 2018 and18 June 2019 on enlargement and stabilisation and association process, to the Council conclusions of 15 July and 14 October 2019 on Turkey’s illegal drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean to the European Council conclusions of 12 December 2019, 1-2 and 15-16 October 2020, to the Statement of the EU foreign ministers of 15 May 2020 and the main results of their videoconference of 14 August 2020 on the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, to the outcome of the informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Gymnich of 27- 28 August 2020 to the Statement of the Members of the European Council of 25 March 2021 on the Eastern Mediterranean, to the European Council’s conclusions of 24 June 2021 and 1 October 2020, and to all previous relevant Council and European Council conclusions,

Amendment 120 #

Jaak MADISON, Harald VILIMSKY, Bernhard ZIMNIOK, Thierry MARIANI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Reiterates its utmost concern about ~~the persistent distance between the EU and Turkey, despite it being a candidate~~president Erdogan's continuous efforts to distance Turkey from the EU, his aversion of count~~ry, in terms of~~emporary values and standards, and the continuing lack of political will to carry out the necessary reforms to address, in particular, the serious concerns about the rule of law and fundamental rights that continue to negatively affect the accession process; ~~considers that without clear progress in this field, Parliament cannot envisage any resumption of accession negotiations with Turkey, which have effectively been at a standstill since 2018~~is therefore of the opinion that the road towards accession of Turkey to the EU is a dead end street and any efforts in that regard should be abandoned;

Amendment 121 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Insists that all accession negotiations with Turkey are immediately and irrevocably terminated, considering that for geographic, cultural and historical reasons Turkey could never be part of the EU; further calls for all funding to Turkey to be stopped and for the EU-Turkey Customs Union agreement, which entered into force on 31 December 1995, to be suspended;

Amendment 122 #

Anna BONFRISCO, Susanna CECCARDI, Marco ZANNI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Asks the General Secretariat of the Council and the Commission Legal Service to give an opinion on closing the accession negotiations with Turkey, with the aim of reversing the 1999 Council decision to declare Turkey's eligible to join the EU;

Amendment 123 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Calls on the Commission to prepare an Enlargement exit strategy for Turkey, to be endorsed by the Council, and to start preparations for a comprehensive privileged partnership instead, based on conditionality;

Amendment 124 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Notes, however, that there has been a slight improvement over the past year in overall EU-Turkey relations, which have on average remained stable, as enhanced cooperation and dialogue on a number of issues have coexisted with regular conflicts; expresses its hope that this pattern of ‘conflictual cooperation’ can be overcome and replaced with a more positive dynamic; whereas if this report is to assess Turkey’s progress or lack of progress in terms of human rights and rule of law, as the core of the accession process, it is important to describe the concrete mechanisms of erosion of freedoms that, taken together, lead to this general backsliding with regard to European standards; whereas this approach means going beyond a long list of citizens and groups who are suffering as a result of these decisions to identifying the operators and bodies of the public authorities responsible of this worrying situation in their particular area of action; whereas generic criticism must be replaced by targeted criticism; Notes that, while accession talks remain at a standstill, Turkey updated its National Action Plan for the EU Accession (NAP) to cover the years 2021-2023; further notes progress made by Turkey in closer alignment with the EU acquis in areas such as competition legislation, the national qualifications system as well as in further aligning with the European Research Area (ERA) and a related better performance of Turkey in Horizon 2020;

Amendment 125 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Notes, however, that there has been a slight improvement over the past year in overall EU-Turkey relations, which have on average remained stable, as enhanced cooperation and dialogue on a number of issues have coexisted with regular conflicts; expresses its hope that this pattern of ‘conflictual cooperation’ can be overcome and replaced with a more positive dynamic; welcomes the recent high-level dialogues between EU-Turkey on climate change on 16 September 2021, Turkey formulating its own Green Deal and putting in place ambitious domestic climate policies as well as Turkey ratifying the Paris Agreement on 6 October 2021; welcomes the high-level dialogue on migration and security on 12 October 2021 focused on strengthening cooperation on managing migration, combating human trafficking and organised crime, and preventing terrorist attacks; welcomes the high-level dialogue on public health of 1 December 2021 discussing enhanced cooperation on cross-border health threats, including in the short-term in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic; commends, in this context, the mutual recognition of COVID-19 certificates in August 2021;

Amendment 126 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

Amendment 127 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

Amendment 128 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Notes~~, however, that there has been a slight improvement over the past year in overall~~ that EU-Turkey relations~~, which~~ have con ~~average rema~~tinued stable, as enhanced cooperation and dialogue on a number of issues have coexisted with regular conflicts; expresses its hope that this pattern of ‘conflictual cooperation’ can be overcome and replaced withto be thorny because of Turkey's posturing; calls on Turkey to cease it's negative posturing and move towards a more positive dynamic;

Amendment 129 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Notes, however, that there has been a slight improvement over the past year in overall EU-Turkey relations, which have on average remained stable, as enhanced cooperation and dialogue on a number of issues have coexisted with regular conflicts that good neighbourly relations form an essential part of moving towards the EU; notes that bilateral relations remained challenging with neighbouring EU Member States, particularly Greece and Cyprus; notes that tensions in the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean were not conducive to good neighbourly relations and undermined regional stability and security; expresses its hope that this pattern of ‘conflictual cooperation’ can be overcome and replaced with a more positive dynamic;

Amendment 13 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 4

— having regard to the Council’s conclusions on Enlargement and Association and Stabilisation Process of 14 December 2021, the Statement of the Members of the European Council of 25 March 2021 on the Eastern Mediterranean, to the European Council’s conclusions of 24 June 2021 and 1 October 2020, and to all previous relevant Council and European Council conclusions,

Amendment 130 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

Amendment 131 #

Malik AZMANI, Urmas PAET, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Notes, however, that there has been a slight improvement over the past year, notably with the easing of tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, in overall EU- Turkey relations, which have on average remained stable~~, as enhanced cooperation and dialogue on a number of issues have coexisted with regular conflicts~~; expresses its hope that this pattern of ‘conflictual cooperation’ can be overcome and replaced with a more positive dynamic; welcomes the High Level Dialogues on migration, security and climate as a positive development in this direction;

Amendment 132 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Notes, however, that there has been a slight improvement over the past year in overall EU-Turkey relations, which have on average remained stable, aswith enhanced cooperation and dialogue through the high-level dialogues on a number of issues, while haveing coexisted with regular conflicts; expresses its hope that this pattern of ‘conflictual cooperation’ can be overcome and replaced with a more sustained and genuine positive dynamic;

Amendment 133 #

Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES, Evin INCIR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Notes, ~~howe~~that over, th~~at there has been a slight improvement over the past year in overall EU-~~e past year EU- Turkey relations have not improved; notes that Turkey relations, w~~hich have on average remained stable, as enhanced cooperation and dialogue on a number of issues have coexisted with regular conflicts~~ith several Member States, in particular with Greece and Cyprus have remained challenging with a rise in tensions in the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean, undermining regional stability and security; expresses its hope that this pattern of ‘conflictual cooperation’ can be overcome and replaced with a more positive dynamic;

Amendment 134 #

Nathalie LOISEAU, Frédérique RIES, Christophe GRUDLER, Ramona STRUGARIU, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ, Hilde VAUTMANS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Notes~~, however, that there has been~~ that despite a slight improvement over the past year in overall EU-Turkey relations, ~~which have on average remained stable, as~~ enhanced cooperation and dialogue on a number of issues have coexisted with regular conflicts; ~~expresses its hope~~urges Turkish authorities to act so that this pattern of ‘conflictual cooperation’ can be overcome and replaced with a more positive dynamic;

Amendment 135 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

Amendment 136 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. ~~Notes, however,~~Welcomes that there has been a slight improvement over the past year in overall EU-Turkey relations, which have on average remained stable, as enhanced cooperation and dialogue on a number of issues have coexisted with regular conflicts; expresses its hope that this pattern of ‘conflictual cooperation’ can be overcome and replaced with a more positive dynamic;

Amendment 137 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Notes that, while accession talks remain at a standstill, Turkey updated its National Action Plan for the EU Accession (NAP)to cover the years 2021- 2023; further notes progress made by Turkey in closer alignment with the EU acquis in areas such as competition legislation, the national qualifications system as well as in further aligning with the European Research Area (ERA) and a related better performance of Turkey in Horizon 2020;

Amendment 138 #

Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Reiterates its firm conviction that Turkey is a country of strategic relevance in political, economic and foreign policy terms, a partner that is key for the stability of the wider region, and an ally with which the EU wishes to pursue the best possible relations; welcomes, in this view, the recent statements expressed at the highest level by the Turkish authorities about the recommitment of the Turkish Government to the EU path, but urges the Turkish authorities to put their words into action and demonstrate this commitment with specific facts and decisions; believes that, if conditions allow, dialogue with Turkish authorities and counterparts at all levels should be further reinforced as a means to contribute to the rebuilding of trust and diminish the possibilities of future confrontations, in line with the European Council’s position to engage with Turkey in a phased, proportionate and reversible manner; calls in this view on the Council to unblock the suspended high level political dialogue, the high level sectoral dialogues on economy, energy and transport, as well as the EU-Turkey Association Council while bearing in mind that further progress in any field should also be closely linked to improvements in the situation of fundamental freedoms and rule of law;

Amendment 139 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Reiterates its firm conviction ~~that Turkey~~for the development of a mutually beneficial cooperative relationship with Turkey, as it is a country of s~~trategic~~ignificant relevance in political, economic and foreign policy terms, a ~~partner that is key~~n important partner for the stability of the wider region, ~~and an ally~~ with which the EU wishes to pursue the best possible relations; ~~welcomes, in this view~~deplores the fact that Turkey remains a source of instability; welcomes, the recent statements expressed at the highest level by the Turkish authorities about the recommitment of the Turkish Government to the EU path, but urges the Turkish authorities to put their words into action and demonstrate this commitment with specific facts and decisions; Recalls the European Council's position to engage with Turkey in a phased, proportionate and reversible manner, under the condition that the latter would stop its provocations against EU and its Member States and the there is tangible improvement in the area of fundamental freedoms and rule of law; it is of the position that these conditions have not been yet met;

Amendment 14 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)

Amendment 140 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. ~~Reiterates its firm conviction~~Notes that Turkey is a country of strategic relevance in political, economic and foreign policy terms, a partner that is key for the stability of the wider region, and an ally with which the EU wishes to pursue the best possible relations; welcomes, in this view, the recent statements expressed at the highest level by the Turkish authorities about the recommitment of the Turkish Government to the EU path, but urges the Turkish authorities to put their words into action and demonstrate this commitment with specific facts and decisions;

Amendment 141 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Reiterates its firm conviction that Turkey is a country of ~~strategic~~ relevance in political, economic and foreign policy terms, a partner that is key for the stability of the wider region, and an ally with which the EU wishes to pursue the best possible relations; welcomes, in this view, the recent statements expressed at the highest level by the Turkish authorities about the recommitment of the Turkish Government to the EU path, but urges the Turkish authorities to put their words into action and demonstrate this commitment with specific facts and decisions; believes that, if conditions allow, dialogue with Turkish authorities and counterparts at all levels should be further reinforced as a means to contribute to the rebuilding of trust and diminish the possibilities of future confrontations, inline with the European Council’s position to engage with Turkey in a phased, proportionate and reversible manner;

Amendment 142 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

Amendment 143 #

Jaak MADISON, Harald VILIMSKY, Bernhard ZIMNIOK, Thierry MARIANI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

Amendment 144 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Reiterates its ~~firm~~ conviction that Turkey iscould potentially be a country of strategic relevance in political, economic and foreign policy terms, and could potentially serve as a partner that is key for the stability of the wider region, and an ally with which the EU wishes to pursue the best possible relations; welcomes, in this view, the recent statements expressed at the highest level by the Turkish authorities about the recommitment of the Turkish Government to the EU path, but urges the Turkish authorities to put their words into action and demonstrate this commitment with specific facts and decis; emphasises, however, that any potential cooperation with Turkey should not result in restarting accession negotiations;

Amendment 145 #

Malik AZMANI, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Reiterates its firm conviction that Turkey is a country of strategic relevance in political, economic and foreign policy terms, a partner that is key for the stability of the wider region, and an inescapable and vital ally with which the EU wishes to pursue the best possible relations, including within NATO; is deeply concerned about Turkey's current destabilising role in the wider region through its involvement in several conflicts; welcomes, in this view, the recent statements expressed at the highest level by the Turkish authorities about the recommitment of the Turkish Government to the EU path, but urges the Turkish authorities to put their words into action and demonstrate this commitment with specific facts and decisions;

Amendment 146 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Reiterates its firm conviction that ~~Turkey is~~a democratic and peaceful Turkey endorsing a mutual approach of respect towards the EU and all member states can prove a country of s~~trategic~~ignificant relevance in political, economic and foreign policy terms, a partner that iscan be key for the stability of the wider region, and an ally with which the EU wi~~shes~~ll be able to pursue the best possible relations; welcomes, in this view, the recent statements expressed at the highest level by the Turkish authorities about the recommitment of the Turkish Government to the EU path, but urges the Turkish authorities to put their words into action and demonstrate this commitment with specific facts and decisions;

Amendment 147 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

Amendment 148 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

Amendment 149 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. ~~Reiterates its firm conviction that Turkey is a country of strategic relevance in political, economic and foreign policy terms, a partner that is key for the stability~~Is deeply concerned that, over the years, the lack of progress in Turkey’s convergence has now transformed into a full withdrawal, marked by a stark regression in three main areas: backsliding ofn the ~~wider region, and an ally with which the EU wishes to pursue the best possible relations; welcomes, in this view, the recent statements expressed at the highest level by the Turkish authorit~~rule of law and fundamental rights, adopting regressive institutional reforms and pursuing a war- mongering and confrontational foreign policy, having illegally troops in three neighbouring countries, a~~bout the recommitment of the Turkish Government to the EU path, but urges the Turkish authorities to put their words into action and demonstrate this commitment with specific facts and decisions~~s well as Libya; is further concerned by the fact that this regression has increasingly been accompanied by an explicit anti-Greece narrative; calls, in this context, on Turkey to completely reassess its foreign policy;

Amendment 15 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)

— having regard to the restrictive measures’ framework established by the EU on 11 November 2019, in result of the illegal drilling activities of Turkey in Eastern Mediterranean, which was renewed on 12 November 2020 and 12 November 2021,

Amendment 150 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

Amendment 151 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Reiterates its ~~firm~~ conviction that Turkey is a country of strategic relevance in political, economic and foreign policy terms, ~~a partner that is key for the stability of the wider region, and an ally~~ with which the EU wishes to pursue ~~the best possi~~stable relations; welcomes, in this view, the recent statements expressed at the highest level by the Turkish authorities about the recommitment of the Turkish Government to the EU path, but urges the Turkish authorities to put their words into action and demonstrate this commitment with specific facts and decisions;

Amendment 152 #

Nathalie LOISEAU, Frédérique RIES, Christophe GRUDLER, Ramona STRUGARIU, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

Amendment 153 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Reiterates its firm conviction that Turkey is a ~~country of strategic relevance~~n important neighbour country in political, economic and foreign policy terms, a partner that ~~is key for~~should be actively involved in the stability of the wider region, and a~~n ally with which the EU wishes to pursue the best possible relations; welcomes, in this view,~~ NATO ally; acknowledges the recent statements expressed at the highest level by the Turkish authorities about the recommitment of the Turkish Government to the EU path, but urges the Turkish authorities to put their words into action and demonstrate this commitment with specific facts and decisions;

Amendment 154 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Reiterates ~~its firm conviction that Turkey is a country of strategic relevance in political, economic and foreign policy terms, a partner that is key for the stability of the wider region,~~the European Union’s strategic interest in a stable and secure environment in the Eastern Mediterranean and ain ~~ally with which the EU wishes to pursue the best possible relations~~the development of a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship with Turkey; welcomes, in this view, the recent statements expressed at the highest level by the Turkish authorities about the recommitment of the Turkish Government to the EU path, but urges the Turkish authorities to put their words into action and demonstrate this commitment with specific facts and decisions;

Amendment 155 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

Amendment 156 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

Amendment 157 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

Amendment 158 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Expresses concern over the current economic situation in Turkey, which through soaring inflation and a constantly rising cost of living is pushing a high and increasing number of people into hardship and poverty; notes that while the current situation has been developing over a number of years, it has turned into a currency crisis in recent months, which exacerbates existing pandemic-related impacts in the economy; is concerned by the lack of confidence on purportedly independent bodies such as the central bank and the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜIK); notes in this regard that the operational independence of both institutions is a key criteria for EU accession; further highlights that the poor performance of Turkey with regard to the respect to the rule of law has also a severe impact on the reputational image of the country and that the lack of legal certainty has the potential to seriously affect the ability of the country to attract foreign investments; Notes that in October 2021 the Financial Action Task Force added Turkey to the list of jurisdictions deemed incapable of tackling money laundering terrorist financing, and proliferation financing; expresses its hope that Turkey can rapidly display the necessary progress on improving the implementation of relevant AML/CFT measures;

Amendment 159 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

Amendment 16 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)

— having regard the Resolution of 26 November 2020 on escalating tensions in Varosha, following the illegal and appalling actions by Turkey and the urgent need to encounter them effectively;

Amendment 160 #

Malik AZMANI, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nathalie LOISEAU, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Expresses concern over the current economic situation in Turkey, which through soaring inflation and a constantly rising cost of living is pushing a high and increasing number of people into hardship and poverty; notes that while the current situation has been developing over a number of years, it turned into a currency crisis in December 2021, exacerbating existing pandemic-related impacts in the economy; is concerned by the lack of confidence in purportedly independent bodies such as the Central Bank and the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜIK); notes in this regard that the operational independence of both institutions is a key criterion for EU accession; further highlights that the poor performance of Turkey with regard to the respect to the rule of law has also a severe impact on the reputational image of the country and that the lack of legal certainty has the potential to seriously affect the ability of the country to attract foreign investments;

Amendment 161 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Expresses its deep concern over the current economic situation in Turkey, which through soaring inflation and a constantly rising cost of living is pushing a high and increasing number of people into hardship and poverty; expresses concern over the direct interference by the Turkish president in Turkish monetary policy; Calls for financial institutions such as the ECB or the IMF to provide technical support, if desired by the Turkish authorities;

Amendment 162 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Expresses concern over the current economic situation in Turkey, which through soaring inflation and a constantly rising cost of living is pushing a high and increasing number of people into hardship and poverty; is worried about the lack of independence of the Turkish Central Bank, after the firing of both previous chairmen who envisaged a monetary policy that differed from the presidential viewpoint;

Amendment 163 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Expresses concern over the current economic situation in Turkey, which through soaring inflation and a constantly rising cost of living is pushing a high and increasing number of people into hardship and poverty; believes that a stronger and more honest relationship with the EU would help with alleviating some of the hardships and assist with the improvement of living standards for the Turkish population;

Amendment 164 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

Amendment 165 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Expresses concern over the current economic situation in Turkey, which through the devaluation of the currency, soaring inflation and a constantly rising cost of living is pushing a high and increasing number of people into hardship and poverty;

Amendment 166 #

Nathalie LOISEAU, Frédérique RIES, Christophe GRUDLER, Ramona STRUGARIU

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Expresses concern over the current economic situation in Turkey and in EU Member States, which through soaring inflation and a constantly rising cost of living is pushing a high and increasing number of people into hardship and poverty;

Amendment 167 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Expresses deep concern over the current economic situation in Turkey, which through soaring inflation and a constantly rising cost of living is pushing a high and increasing number of people into hardship and poverty;

Amendment 168 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Expresses its will to strengthen and deepen mutual knowledge and understanding between Turkish and EU Member States' societies, promoting cultural growth, socio-cultural exchanges and combating all manifestations of social, religious, ethnic or cultural prejudice; expresses its full commitment to continue supporting Turkey’s independent civil society in whatever circumstances and framework of relations that the future may bring; believes that the accession process would still be the most powerful tool to exercise normative pressure on and constructive dialogue with the Turkish government and the best framework to sustain the democratic and pro-European aspirations of Turkish society; stresses that a purely transactional relationship will hardly contribute to the advancement of a sustainable, mutually beneficial and even partnership;

Amendment 169 #

Malik AZMANI, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nathalie LOISEAU, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Frédérique RIES, Dragoş TUDORACHE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Notes that in October 2021 the Financial Action Task Force added Turkey to the list of jurisdictions deemed incapable of tackling money laundering terrorist financing, and proliferation financing; expresses its hope that Turkey can rapidly display the necessary progress on improving the implementation of relevant AML/CFT measures;

Amendment 17 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)

— – Having Regard to Turkey’s membership in the Council of Europe and in NATO;

Amendment 170 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Deplores the continued deterioration of the human rights situation in Turkey, including backsliding on fundamental freedoms, democracy and the rule of law; considers that the current repressive form of rule, whose main pillars are abuse of the legal framework - particularly through the application of terrorism charges and by restriction of the freedom of expression - and a lack of independence of the judiciary, is a deliberate, relentless and systematic state policy developed to suppress any critical activities either-directly or through a chilling effect; is appalled by the fact that in order to pursue this policy, the Turkish state authorities are ready to blatantly and persistently disregard their international and domestic legal obligations, such as those derived from Turkey’s membership of the Council of Europe;

Amendment 171 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Deplores the continued deterioration of the human rights situation in Turkey, including backsliding on fundamental freedoms, democracy and the rule of law; considers that the current repressive form of rule, whose main pillars are abuse of the legal framework - particularly through the application of terrorism charges and by restriction of freedom of expression- and a lack of independence of the judiciary, is a deliberate, relentless and systematic state policy developed to suppress any critical activities either-directly or through a chilling effect; is appalled by the fact that in order to pursue this policy, the Turkish state authorities are ready to blatantly and persistently disregard their international and domestic legal obligations, such as those derived from Turkey’s membership of the Council of Europe;

Amendment 172 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Deplores the continued deterioration of the human rights situation in Turkey, including backsliding on fundamental freedoms, democracy and the rule of law; considers that the current repressive form of rule, whose main pillars are abuse of the legal framework particularly in relation with terrorism and freedom of expression and a lack of independence of the judiciary, is a deliberate, relentless and systematic state policy developed to suppress any critical activities either-directly or through a chilling effect; is appalled by the fact that in order to pursue this policy, the Turkish state authorities are ready to blatantly and persistently disregard their international and domestic legal obligations, such as those derived from Turkey’s membership of the Council of Europe;

Amendment 173 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Deplores the continued deterioration of the human rights situation in Turkey, including backsliding on fundamental freedoms, democracy and the rule of law; considers that the current repressive form of rule, whose main pillars are abuse of the legal framework particularly in relation with terrorism and freedom of expression and a lack of independence of the judiciary, is a deliberate, relentless and systematic state policy developed to suppress any critical activities either-directly or through a chilling effect; is appalled by the fact that in order to pursue this policy, the Turkish state authorities are ready to blatantly and persistently disregard their international and domestic legal obligations, such as those derived from Turkey’s membership of the Council of Europe;

Amendment 174 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Deplores the continued deterioration of the human rights situation in Turkey, ~~including~~especially its backsliding on fundamental freedoms, democracy and the rule of law; considers that the current repressive form of rule, whose main pillars are abuse of the legal framework ~~and~~, a lack of independence of the judiciary and the progressive Islamisation of political life, is a deliberate, relentless and systematic state policy developed to suppress any critical activities ~~either-directly or through a chilling effect~~directed against the increasingly authoritarian presidential system; is appalled by the fact that in order to pursue this policy, the Turkish state authorities are ready to blatantly and persistently disregard their international and domestic legal obligations, such as those derived from Turkey’s membership of the Council of Europe;

Amendment 175 #

Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES, Giuliano PISAPIA, Evin INCIR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Deplores the continued deterioration of the human rights situation in Turkey, including backsliding on fundamental freedoms, democracy and the rule of law; considers that the current repressive form of rule, whose main pillars are abuse of the legal framework and a lack of independence of the judiciary, is a deliberate, relentless and systematic ~~state~~government policy developed to suppress any critical activities either- directly or through a chilling effect; is appalled by the fact that in order to pursue this policy, the Turkish state authorities are ready to blatantly and persistently disregard their international and domestic legal obligations, such as those derived from Turkey’s membership of the Council of Europe;

Amendment 176 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Recalls that the allocation of EU funds is conditional on the respect for the rule of law, democratic values, human rights, European and international law; due to Turkey's backsliding in all these areas, reiterates its position that all the funds allocated under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA III) and relevant programmes of the NDICI - Global Europe instrument to be directly managed by the EU in order to support Turkey's civil society, human rights defenders and journalists, and to increase opportunities for people-to-people contacts, academic dialogue and media platforms for journalists with the objective of protecting and promoting democratic values and principles, human rights and the rule of law and that no actions organised by the Turkish state should get financed by the EU budget as long as the situation does not significantly improve;

Amendment 177 #

Thierry MARIANI, Anna BONFRISCO, Susanna CECCARDI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Insists that the crucial area of fundamental rights and freedoms, which is at the core of the accession process, cannot be disconnected and isolated from overall relations with the EU and stresses that for Parliament, it remains the main obstacle to further progress on any positive agenda that could be offered to Turkey; calls on Turkey to launch investigations into the cases of Simoni Diril, who was found dead near her home in the Sirniak region in March 2020, and of her husband Hurmuz, whose children have not received any information about since 11 January 2020; both Christians were abducted at that time, and the Turkish justice system refused to open a proper investigation;

Amendment 178 #

Marc ANGEL, Malin BJÖRK, Fabio Massimo CASTALDO, Terry REINTKE, Pierre KARLESKIND, Maria WALSH, Frédérique RIES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Dietmar KÖSTER, Malik AZMANI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Insists that the crucial area of fundamental rights and freedoms, which is at the core of the accession process, cannot be disconnected and isolated from overall relations with the EU and stresses that for Parliament, it remains the main obstacle to further progress on any positive agenda that could be offered to Turkey; considers that the adoption on March 2021 of an Action Plan on Human Rights shows a willingness to improve the overall situation of fundamental rights in Turkey; notes nevertheless that the commitment of the government will be measured by the extent of its implementation and the reforms undertaken to ensure its application to all citizens without discrimination;

Amendment 179 #

Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

Amendment 18 #

Emmanouil FRAGKOS, Hermann TERTSCH, Angel DZHAMBAZKI

Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 b (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 180 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Insists that the crucial area of fundamental rights and freedoms~~, which is at the core of the accession process,~~ cannot be disconnected and isolated from overall relations with the EU and stresses that for Parliament, it remains the main obstacle to further progress on any positive agenda that could be offered to Turkey;

Amendment 181 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

Amendment 182 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

Amendment 183 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

Amendment 184 #

Nathalie LOISEAU, Frédérique RIES, Christophe GRUDLER, Urmas PAET, Ramona STRUGARIU, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ, Malik AZMANI, Hilde VAUTMANS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

Amendment 185 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

Amendment 186 #

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES, Giuliano PISAPIA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

Amendment 187 #

Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

Amendment 188 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Deplores the fact that the Venice Commission recommendations on the status of religious communities in Turkey have yet to be implemented; reiterates its call on Turkey to respect the importance of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for Orthodox Christians all over the world, to recognise its legal personality and the public use of the ecclesiastical title of the Ecumenical Patriarch; stresses the need to eliminate restrictions on the training, appointment and succession of clergy, to allow the reopening of the Halki Seminary and lift all obstacles for its proper functioning;

Amendment 189 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Stresses that financial assistance of the Instrument for Pre-accession assistance (IPAIII) is based on a conditionality linked to the ‘fundamentals first’ approach; Recalls that IPA III support can be suspended in the event of the degradation of democracy, human rights or the rule of law and modulated when indicators show significant regression or persistent lack of progress;

Amendment 19 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 b (new)

— having regard to the EU-Turkey Readmission Agreement,

Amendment 190 #

Jaak MADISON, Harald VILIMSKY, Bernhard ZIMNIOK, Thierry MARIANI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Stresses that no inducement that the EU could offer Turkey, nor the repeated calls that the Council, the Commission and the European Parliament might make for Turkey to comply with its obligations can ever replace the much-needed political will to build a mature democracy and, in turn, become a member of the EU;

Amendment 191 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Expresses grave concern regarding violations of the right to freedom of religion in Turkey; notes with concern that Christians in Turkey remain under extreme pressure as a result of religious nationalism, as reported by Open Doors; is particularly concerned about reports of Christian foreigners in Turkey being targeted;

Amendment 192 #

Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES, Evin INCIR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Is appalled by the Turkish government's attempts at securing the extrajudicial rendition of citizens living abroad; condemns the intelligence-led abduction and forcible rendition of Turkish-Kyrgyz educator Orhan Inandi from Kyrgyzystan;

Amendment 193 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)

6 b. Strongly condemns the decision by the Turkish authorities to convert Moni tis Choras/Chora Church and Hagia Sophia, a World Heritage Monument into mosque, in violation of the UNCESCO Convention concerning the protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, to which Turkey is signatory member; Urges the Turkish government to reverse its decisions and protect the multicultural character of the country; deplores the lack of protection of Panagia Soumela Monastery which has been put forward for inclusion to the UNESCO World Heritage Monuments list and believes these actions undermine the trust between the Turkish government and the religious communities in the country;

Amendment 194 #

Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES, Evin INCIR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 c (new)

6 c. Regrets that the Treasury has appealed favourable decisions for the restitution of properties according to the Law on Foundations and most of the appeals against rejected claims are still pending either before local courts or at ECHR; notes with concern the hate speech and crimes against minorities, as well as the acts of vandalisms and the destruction of minority worship places and cemeteries; urges the Turkish authorities to effectively prosecute the offenders and to properly protect all religious minorities; regrets that a new electoral regulation for non-Muslim foundations, following its annulment in 2013, is still to be published, which has created serious problems to proper administration of these foundations, as no elections can take place; notes that despite a ruling from an administrative court to overrule the decision to annul the electoral regulation, the Ankara Regional Court of Appeals ruled that it is up to the Council of State to decide;

Amendment 195 #

Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 d (new)

6 d. Reiterates the need for Turkey to fully implement all recommendations of the Council of Europe Resolution 1625(2008) with particular emphasis on the restitution of property rights of the Greek Orthodox population and its foundations on the islands of Imvros and Tenedos; inheritance rights and adopt all necessary positive discrimination measures for assisting the repatriation of all minority families who wish to return to the islands; underlines the need to preserve the bicultural character of the islands;

Amendment 196 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Reiterates its strong condemnation of Turkey’s withdrawal, by presidential decree, from the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (the Istanbul Convention); particularly condemns this decision against the background of the high number of femicides in the country; reiterates its call on Turkey’s Government to reverse this regrettable decision; calls on Turkey, in the meantime, to prevent and combat violence against all women and girls, support survivors, and to hold abusers to account by fully implementing Turkey’s own Law no. 6284 and all measures identified in the European Court of Human Rights Opuz group of cases under enhanced supervision by the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers;

Amendment 197 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Reiterates its strong condemnation of Turkey’s withdrawal, by presidential decree, from the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (the Istanbul Convention); a decision that is particularly alarming against the background of continuing high number of femicides in the country and that represents a major setback to efforts to promote women’s rights in the country; reiterates its call on Turkey’s Government to reverse this incomprehensible decision and, in the meantime, to prevent and combat violence against all women and girls, support survivors, and hold abusers to account by fully implementing Turkey’s own Law no. 6284 and all measures identified in the relevant ECtHR jurisprudence;

Amendment 198 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Reiterates its strong condemnation of Turkey’s withdrawal, by presidential decree, from the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (the Istanbul Convention); a decision that is particularly alarming against the background of continuing high number of femicides in the country and that represents a major set back to efforts to promote women’s rights in the country; reiterates its call on Turkey’s Government to reverse this incomprehensible and unacceptable decision;

Amendment 199 #

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. ~~Reiterates its strong condemnation of~~Calls on Turkey to address the increasing prevalence of domestic violence and discrimination against women, despite Turkey’s withdrawal, by presidential decree, from the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (the Istanbul Convention); fears that this decision was aimed to take electoral advantage ahead of the 2023 elections by attempting to create a division between secularist and the conservative circles within the MI opposition camp;

Amendment 2 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 2

— having regard to the Negotiating Framework for Turkey of 3 October 2005, and to the fact that, as it is the case for all candidate countries, Turkey’s accession to the EU depends on full compliance with the Copenhagen criteria, and to the need to normalize its relations with all EU Member States, including the Republic of Cyprus,

Amendment 20 #

Emmanouil FRAGKOS, Hermann TERTSCH, Angel DZHAMBAZKI

Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 c (new)

— having regard to the declaration issued by the European Community and its Member States on 21 September 2005, following the declaration made by Turkey upon signature on 29 July 2005 of the Ankara Protocol, including the provision that the recognition of all Member States is a necessary component of the negotiations, and to the need for Turkey to proceed to the normalization of its relations with all Member States and to fully implement the Additional Protocol to the Ankara Agreement towards all Member States, by removing all obstacles to the free movement of goods, including restrictions on means of transport, without prejudice and discrimination,

Amendment 200 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Reiterates its strong condemnation of Turkey’s withdrawal, by presidential decree, from the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (the Istanbul Convention); reminds that this is in strong violation of fundamental European values and will be a part of the evaluation for Turkey’s accession process;

Amendment 201 #

Nathalie LOISEAU, Frédérique RIES, Christophe GRUDLER, Urmas PAET, Ramona STRUGARIU, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ, Malik AZMANI, Hilde VAUTMANS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Reiterates its strong condemnation of Turkey’s withdrawal, by presidential decree, from the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (the Istanbul Convention); calls on Turkey to reverse this decision and to implement a zero-tolerance policy on violence against women;

Amendment 202 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

Amendment 203 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

Amendment 204 #

Malik AZMANI, Urmas PAET, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nathalie LOISEAU, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. ~~Reiterates its strong condemnation of Turkey’s withdrawal, by presidential decree,~~Calls on Turkey to address the increasing prevalence of domestic violence and discrimination against women, despite Turkey’s withdrawal from the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (the Istanbul Convention);

Amendment 205 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Reiterates its strong condemnation and regret of Turkey’s withdrawal, by presidential decree, from the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (the Istanbul Convention);

Amendment 206 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. ~~Reiterates its strong condemnation of~~Acknowledges Turkey’s withdrawal, by presidential decree, from the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (the Istanbul Convention);

Amendment 207 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Notes the importance of upholding the freedom of assembly and demonstration in Turkey, which is enshrined in its constitution; is deeply worried by the routine use and continued extension of bans on protests and demonstration by provincial governors, and particularly by the ban by Governor Mehmet Emin Bilmez that has been in place for over five years in Van Province; deplores the targeting of journalists at public protests by Turkish police forces including through the April 2021 directive by Turkey’s Security General Directorate (EGM) signed by its head, former governor Mehmet Aktaş, instructing Turkish police forces to prevent press recordings of protests and demonstrations that was subsequently suspended by the Council of State citing a restriction of fundamental rights; regrets the recurrent use of excessive force to suppress peaceful demonstrations amidst an overall general impunity of law enforcement officials; deplores the ongoing trial against the Cumartesi Anneleri (Saturday Mothers) at the Istanbul 21st Criminal Court of First Instance presided by judge Naim Atan in relation to the violent dispersal of their 700th vigil on 25 August 2018; reiterates its call on the authorities to drop charges against the students of Boğaziçi University prosecuted for exercising their right to peaceful assembly, and highlights the relevance of ensuring academic freedom and the autonomy of universities; is concerned in this regard by the recent decision to remove three elected deans in Boğaziçi University, whose current rector, Naci İnci, was appointed by Presidential decree in August 2021

Amendment 208 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Notes the importance of upholding the freedom of assembly in Turkey, which is enshrined in its constitution; is deeply worried by the routine use and continued extension of bans on protests and demonstration by provincial governors, and particularly by the ban by Governor Mehmet Emin Bilmez that has been in placefor over five years in Van Province; deplores the targeting of journalists at public protests by Turkish police forces including through the April 2021directive by Turkey’s Security General Directorate (EGM) signed by its head, former governor Mehmet Aktaş, instructing Turkish police forces to prevent press recordings of protests and demonstrations that was subsequently suspendedby the Council of State citing a restriction of fundamental rights; regrets the recurrent use of excessive force to suppress peaceful demonstrations amidst an overall general impunity of law enforcement officials; deplores the ongoing trial against the Cumartesi Anneleri (Saturday Mothers) at the Istanbul 21st Criminal Court of First Instance presided by judge Naim Atan in relation to the violentdispersal of their 700th vigil on 25 August 2018; reiterates its call on the authorities to drop charges against the students of Boğaziçi University prosecuted for exercising their right to peaceful assembly, and highlights the relevance of ensuring academic freedom and the autonomy of universities; is concerned in this regard by the recent decision to remove three elected deansin Boğaziçi University, whose current rector, Naci İnci, was appointed by Presidential decree in August 2021;

Amendment 209 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Notes the importance of upholding the freedom of assembly in Turkey, which is enshrined in its constitution; is deeply worried by the routine use and continued extension of bans on protests and demonstration by provincial governors, and particularly by the Governor’s ban that has been in place for over five years in Van Province; deplores the targeting of journalists at public protests by Turkish police forces including through the April 2021 directive by Turkey’s Security General Directorate (EGM), instructing Turkish police forces to prevent press recordings of protests and demonstrations that was subsequently suspended by the Council of State citing a restriction of fundamental rights; regrets the recurrent use of excessive force to suppress peaceful demonstrations amidst an overall general impunity of law enforcement officials; deplores the ongoing trial against the Cumartesi Anneleri (Saturday Mothers) at the Istanbul 21st Criminal Court of First Instance in relation to the violent dispersal of their 700th vigil on 25 August 2018; reiterates its call on the authorities to drop charges against the students of Boğaziçi University prosecuted for exercising their right to peaceful assembly, and highlights the relevance of ensuring academic freedom and the autonomy of universities; is concerned in this regard by the recent decision to remove three elected deans in Boğaziçi University, whose current rector was appointed by Presidential decree in August 2021;

Amendment 21 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 5 a (new)

— having regard to the fact that respect for the rule of law, democracy, separation of powers, and human rights, including fundamental rights such as freedom of expression and media, freedom of association and peaceful assembly, the rights of minorities including property rights of all non- Muslim religious minorities, religious freedom, the rights of women and children, the fight against racism and discrimination against vulnerable groups such as the Roma, disabled persons, LGBTI is at the core of any attempt to restore our relations,

Amendment 210 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Notes the importance of upholding the freedom of assembly in Turkey, which is enshrined in its constitution and constitutes a positive obligation, derived from its membership of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR); condemns the systematic and selective violation of this freedom extending to any critical activity such as peaceful Kurdish civil and political engagement, peaceful protest by women rights activists, including by Cumartesi Anneleri (Saturday Mothers), protests by the students of Boğaziçi University for academic freedom as well as LGBTI activists; denounces protracted bans on peaceful protests, the excessive use of force against demonstrators and journalists covering protests as well as trials against activists;

Amendment 211 #

Malik AZMANI, Urmas PAET, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nathalie LOISEAU, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Dragoş TUDORACHE

8. Notes the importance of upholding the freedom of assembly in Turkey, which is enshrined in its constitution; regrets the serious backsliding in this area in light of recurrent bans, excessive use of force against peaceful demonstrators, administrative fines and prosecutions against demonstrators on charges of terrorism-related activities;

Amendment 212 #

Marc ANGEL, Malin BJÖRK, Fabio Massimo CASTALDO, Terry REINTKE, Pierre KARLESKIND, Maria WALSH, Frédérique RIES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Dietmar KÖSTER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Notes the importance of upholding the freedom of assembly in Turkey, which is enshrined in its constitution and a positive obligation derived from its membership of the European Convention of Human Rights;

Amendment 213 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Notes the importance of upholding the freedom of assembly in Turkey, which is enshrined in its constitution; but increasingly under pressure, in particular for certain opposition parties;

Amendment 214 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8 a. Stresses the importance of the freedom of religion; deplores that the lack of legal personality for non-Muslim communities remains a serious issue; urges Turkey to give the right to the Orthodox Patriarchate of Istanbul the right to use the title “Ecumenical” and reopen the Halki (Heybeliada) Greek Orthodox Seminary, which remains closed since 1971;

Amendment 215 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)

8 b. Expresses concern over the ineffective investigations on hate speech and hate crimes against minorities; stresses the need to remove all discriminatory elements against all religions and faith groups from school textbooks;

Amendment 216 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Reiterates its serious concern about the disproportionate and arbitrary measures curtailing freedom of expression; welcomes the further decrease in the number of journalists in prison in Turkey; and the increase in the number of acquittals in cases against journalists observed in the last period of 2021; welcomes the recent rulings of the Council of State halting the execution of some articles of the Press Card Regulations and the police circular that had banned audio-visual recordings at public demonstrations; notes however that the practice of investigating and prosecuting people on charges such as insulting the President or on broadly- worded and vague terrorism charges continues; is appalled by the gross abuse of Article 299 of Turkish Penal Code on insulting the President which can carry a jail sentence of between one and four years; finds completely disproportionate that since 2014, the first year of President Erdoğan’s term in office, more than 160,000 investigations have been launched, more than 35,500 cases were filed and there were more than12,800 convictions over insulting the president; calls on Turkey’s authorities to apply the rulings by the European Court on Human Rights and to follow the Venice Commission recommendations in order to bring Turkish law on this matter in line with the Convention; is particularly worried by the case of journalist Sedef Kabaş, who after being publicly targeted by senior government officials was arrested during a midnight raid on January 22nd, by the order of Istanbul10th Criminal Court of Peace judge, and is kept in pre-trial detention at the Bakırköy Women's Prison in İstanbul for having allegedly insulted the President on a live broadcast on TELE1 TV on 14 January 2022; is appalled by the fact that the Istanbul 36th Criminal Court of First Instance of the indictment has recently accepted the indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office for which Ms Kabaş will face up to 12 years and 10 months in prison on the offenses charged; finds this case a clear example of the abusive use of Article 299 with an aim of having a chilling effect on any journalist or citizen who could express criticism towards the President or government; expresses concerns about the Presidential circular on "Press and Broadcasting Activities" published on 28 January 2022 as it could imply unlawful restrictions to fundamental rights and freedoms;

Amendment 217 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Reiterates its serious concern about the disproportionate and arbitrary measures curtailing freedom of expression; welcomes the further decrease in the number of journalists in prison in Turkey; notes however that the practice of investigating and prosecuting people for matters such as insulting the President or allegedly disrespecting Islamic values remains on the rise, driven by broadly- worded and vague anti-terrorism claims; is appalled by the gross abuse of Article 299 of Turkish Penal Code on insulting the President which can carry a jail sentence of between one and four years; finds completely disproportionate that since 2014, the first year of President Erdoğan, more than 160,000 investigations were launched, more than35,500 cases were filed and there were more than 12,800 convictions over insulting the president; calls on Turkey’s authorities to apply the rulings by the European Court on Human Rights and to follow the Venice Commission recommendations in order to bring Turkish law on this matter in line with the Convention; is particularly worried by the case of journalist Sedef Kabaş, who after being publicly targeted by senior government officials was arrested during a midnight raid on January 22nd, by the order of Istanbul 10th Criminal Court of Peace judge Furkan Bilgehan Ertem, and is kept in pre-trial detention at the Bakırköy Women's Prison in İstanbul for having allegedly insulted the President on alive broadcast on TELE1 TV on 14 January 2022; finds this case a clear example of the abusive use of Article 299 with an aim of having a chilling effect on any journalist or citizen who could express criticism towards the President or government; expresses concerns about the Presidential circular on "Press and Broadcasting Activities" published on 28January 2022 as it could imply unlawful restrictions to fundamental rights and freedoms;

Amendment 218 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Reiterates its serious concern about the disproportionate and arbitrary measures curtailing freedom of expression; welcomes the further decrease in the number of journalists in prison in Turkey; notes however that the practice of investigating and prosecuting people for matters such as insulting the President or allegedly disrespecting Islamic values remains on the rise, driven by broadly- worded and vague anti-terrorism claims; is appalled by the gross abuse of Article 299 of Turkish Penal Code on insulting the President which can carry a jail sentenceof between one and four years; finds completely disproportionate that since2014, the first year of President Erdoğan, more than 160,000 investigations were launched, more than 35,500 cases were filed and there were more than12,800 convictions over insulting the president; calls on Turkey’s authorities to apply the rulings by the European Court on Human Rights and to follow the Venice Commission recommendations in order to bring Turkish law on this matter in line with the Convention; is particularly worried by the case of journalist Sedef Kabaş, who after being publicly targeted by senior government officials was arrested during a midnight raid on January 22nd, by the order of Istanbul 10th Criminal Court of Peace judge Furkan Bilgehan Ertem, and is kept in pre-trial detention at the Bakırköy Women's Prison in İstanbul for having allegedly insulted the President on a live broadcast on TELE1 TV on 14 January2022; finds this case a clear example of the abusive use of Article 299 with an aim of having a chilling effect on any journalist or citizen who could express criticism towards the President or government; expresses concerns about the Presidential circular on "Press and Broadcasting Activities" published on 28 January 2022 as it could imply unlawful restrictions to fundamental rights and freedoms;

Amendment 219 #

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Reiterates its serious concern about the disproportionate and arbitrary measures curtailing freedom of expression; ~~welcomes the further decrease in the number of journalists in pr~~condemns the large number of investigation and prosecution of persons for allegations of insulting the President or on broadly-worded and vague terrorism charges; is concerned that, of all Council of Europe members, Turkey was the member country with the highest number of judgments on violations of freedom of expression at the European Court of Human Rights in 2021; calls for the immediate release of journalist Sedef Kabaş who was arrested on 22 February 2022 following her citation of a proverb on television ~~in Turkey~~that was interpreted as an insult directed at the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan; takes note of the worrying presidential circular from 28 February 2022 entitled “Press and Publication Activities” which may be used by Turkish authorities as a tool to strengthen the arm of monitoring agencies such as RTÜK, the Radio and Television Supreme Council and further limit the freedom of expression; urges Turkey to guarantee media freedom as a matter of priority and to immediately and unconditionally release and acquit detained journalists, writers and social media users for exercising their profession and civil rights;

Amendment 22 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 5 a (new)

— having regard to the restrictive measures framework established by the EU on 11 November 2019, as a response to Turkey’s illegal drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean, which was renewed on 12 November 2020 and 12 November 2021,

Amendment 220 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Reiterates its serious concern about the disproportionate and arbitrary measures curtailing freedom of expression; welcomes the further decrease in the number of journalists in prison in Turkey; expresses concern, however, about the ongoing detention and prosecution of people on charges of insulting the president due to comments made on television, in public or on social media; urges Turkey to amend the law on insulting the president in line with the recommendations of the European Court of Human Rights;

Amendment 221 #

Malik AZMANI, Urmas PAET, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Reiterates its serious concern about the disproportionate and arbitrary measures curtailing freedom of expression; ~~welcomes the fur~~calls on the Turkish authorities to allow civil society organisations, NGOs, lawyers and legal representatives, and the press to function in accordance with their d~~ecrease in the number of journalists in prison in Turke~~uties and within their remit and scope and to exercise their profession freely, as this provides for an overall healthier democracy and society;

Amendment 222 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Reiterates its serious concern about the disproportionate and arbitrary measures curtailing freedom of expression; ~~welcomes the further decrease in the number of journalists in prison in Turkey~~condemns the high number of imprisoned journalists, media employees as well as social media users; notes with deep concern the increasing restrictions and censorship imposed on social media platforms;

Amendment 223 #

Nathalie LOISEAU, Frédérique RIES, Christophe GRUDLER, Urmas PAET, Ramona STRUGARIU, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ, Hilde VAUTMANS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

Amendment 224 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

Amendment 225 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

Amendment 226 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Reiterates its serious concern about the disproportionate and arbitrary measures curtailing freedom of expression; condemns the systematic use of terrorist offences to silence journalists, media and opposition; welcomes the further decrease in the number of journalists in prison in Turkey;

Amendment 227 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Reiterates its serious concern about the ~~disproportionate and arbitrary measures curtailing freedom of expression; welcomes the further decrease in the number of journalists in prison~~continued backsliding of freedom of expression; expresses concern about the continuing of criminal cases against journalists, human rights defenders, lawyers, writers and academics in Turkey;

Amendment 228 #

Susanna CECCARDI, Anna BONFRISCO, Marco ZANNI, Thierry MARIANI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Reiterates its serious concern about the disproportionate and arbitrary measures curtailing freedom of expression; ~~welcom~~notes the further decrease in the number of journalists in prison in Turkey;

Amendment 229 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9 a. Notes with great concern that the Turkish authorities have opened more than 160,000 investigations into alleged insults since Erdoğan became president in 2014, and more than 3,600 people have been convicted under the controversial law, including the recent situation involving the Olympic swimmer Derya Büyükuncu. Deplores that even the most minor criticism of Erdoğan or his government is perceived as an insult;

Amendment 23 #

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES, Nikos ANDROULAKIS

Motion for a resolution
Citation 5 a (new)

— – having regard to the restrictive measures framework established by the EU on 11 November 2019, as a response to Turkey’s illegal drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean, which was renewed on 12 November 2020 and 12 November 2021,

Amendment 230 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9 a. Reiterates relevant ECtHR decisions and calls on the Turkish Government to immediately stop the violation of the human rights of the Cypriot citizens and stop depriving them of the enjoyment and exercise of their property, religious and other human rights stemming from the constitutional order of the Republic of Cyprus and the acquis communautaire, as well as the fundamental principles and values of the EU;

Amendment 231 #

Emmanouil FRAGKOS, Hermann TERTSCH, Angel DZHAMBAZKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9 a. Believes that this fundamental area, which is at the core of the accession process, cannot be disconnected and isolated from overall relations and that it remains along with the full respect of international law and the fundamental principle of good neighbourly relations and regional cooperation, the main obstacles to progress in bilateral relations;

Amendment 232 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9 a. Expresses its strong concern about the deteriorating situation of the freedom of religion or belief in Turkey; calls on the Turkish government to fully respect the right of non-Muslim religious minorities in the country and take action against social hostilities towards these groups;

Amendment 233 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9 a. Stresses that torture remain a major issue in detention facilities in Turkey; urges Turkey to effectively investigate allegations of torture and ill- treatment in police custody and in prison, as well as allegations of enforced disappearances;

Amendment 234 #

Emmanouil FRAGKOS, Charlie WEIMERS, Hermann TERTSCH, Angel DZHAMBAZKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)

9 b. Notes that EU funding to Turkey must be subject to rules on conditionality, including for respecting the principles of the United Nations Charter, international law, including the UN Security Council Resolutions on Cyprus, and European values and principles; therefore, the EU funding to Turkey must be suspended,

Amendment 235 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 c (new)

9 c. Strongly condemns the Turkish decision to convert the emblematic Hagia Sophia and many other churches, to mosques and calls on the Turkish authorities to urgently reverse such decisions;

Amendment 236 #

Emmanouil FRAGKOS, Hermann TERTSCH, Angel DZHAMBAZKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 d (new)

9 d. Is concerned about the ever more frequent use of a hyper-nationalist and war- mongering narrative among the ruling elite that increasingly gives rise to antagonistic approaches towards the EU Member States; is concerned about the increasing clout of authoritarianism and Islamic extremism in political life;

Amendment 237 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 e (new)

9 e. Calls on the Turkish government to respect and fully implement the legal obligations deriving from the Conventions to which it is a contracting party, and to halt the destruction of the cultural heritage in the occupied areas of Cyprus; 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 238 #

Emmanouil FRAGKOS, Hermann TERTSCH, Angel DZHAMBAZKI

9 f. Strongly condemns the removal of 47 democratically elected mayors from office on the basis of questionable evidence and, in particular, their arbitrary replacement by unelected trustees appointed by the central government; strongly believes these unlawful decisions constitute a direct attack on the most basic principles of democracy, depriving millions of voters of their democratically elected representation;

Amendment 239 #

Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 g (new)

9 g. Is alarmed by the fact that Turkey’s foreign policy increasingly collides with the priorities and goals of EU’s common foreign and security policy; notes with deep concern that the rate of Turkey’s alignment with the common foreign policy of the EU is constantly deteriorating to historic low rates;

Amendment 24 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 5 a (new)

— having regard to the EU- Turkey Readmission Agreement,

Amendment 240 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 h (new)

9 h. Is deeply concerned by the ongoing Turkey’s unprecedented illegal and aggressive behaviour in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea, its warmongering rhetoric and the related risk of a military escalation by a country that is still considered to be an EU candidate, against EU Member States; strongly condemns Turkey’s violations of Greek national airspace, including over flights of inhabited areas, and territorial sea, a conduct which not only constitutes a serious, ongoing violation of international law, but also creates the risk of an armed incident; strongly condemns Turkey’s illegal activities in Greek and Cypriot waters, which violate the sovereignty, the sovereign rights of EU Member States and international law; expresses its full solidarity with Greece and the Republic of Cyprus; expresses its grave concern for the illegal Turkish fishing activities within Greek territorial waters in the Aegean Sea and the unregulated and unreported fishing activities of Turkish fishing fleet in Greek, Cypriot territorial waters and international waters in the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean; urges Turkey to fully respect international law and the law of the sea, to engage in the peaceful settlement of disputes and to refrain from any unilateral and illegal action or threat; notes that the Council’s Conclusions of 15 July 2019 in light of Turkey’s continued and new illegal drilling activities, not to hold the Association Council and further meetings of the EU-Turkey high-level dialogues for the time being, along with the Council’s Decision2019/1894, of 11 November 2019, to impose restrictive measures in view of Turkey’s unauthorized drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean, are the first instances where such reactions were deemed necessary in view of the conduct of a candidate country;

Amendment 241 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 i (new)

9 i. Is deeply concerned by the ongoing dispute in the Eastern Mediterranean and the related risk of a military escalation; strongly condemns Turkey’s illegal activities in Greek and Cypriot waters, which violate both the sovereign rights of EU Member States and international law; expresses its full solidarity with Greece and the Republic of Cyprus; urges Turkey to engage in the peaceful settlement of disputes and to refrain from any unilateral and illegal action or threat; recognises the right of the Republic of Cyprus to enter into bilateral agreements concerning its exclusive economic zone, explore and exploit its natural resources and calls on Turkey to respect relevant international law (UNCLOS); 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 relations; urges Turkey to show restraint and to respect Cyprus’ sovereignty over its territorial sea and Cyprus’ sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone;

Amendment 242 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Asserts that the continued prosecution, censorship and harassment of journalists and independent media remains an issue of concern; calls the Turkish Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), chaired by Ebubekir Şahin, to discontinue the excessive imposition of fines and broadcasting bans restricting the legitimate freedom of expression of Turkish journalists and broadcasters; calls the Press Advertising Agency (BIK), headed by Director General Rıdvan Duran, to ensure that bans on public advertising do not serve to supress independent media reporting, as in the case of the daily newspaper Evrensel, whose case represents a negative record in Turkey's press history, as it has not received any official advertising for 900 days and even if the BIK were to grant permission for advertisements immediately now, the daily newspaper will still not receive any advertising for 103 days due to the penalties imposed by the BIK in the meantime; calls on Fahrettin Altun, Director of Communications at the Turkish Presidency, to ensure the timely processing of press card applications and to discontinue the use of criminal complaints and belligerent rhetoric targeting journalists; calls on the Turkish Grand National Assembly to follow-up on the Turkish Constitutional Court’s judgement of January 2022 requesting to reformulate Article 9 of the Internet Law to protect the freedoms of expression and the press; is particularly alarmed by the case of the Turkish Cypriot journalist Ali Kashmir, who was recently prohibited from entering Turkey and faces court charges for having expressed criticism against Ankara;

Amendment 243 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Asserts that the continued prosecution, censorship and harassment of journalists and independent media remains an issue of concern; calls on the chair of the Turkish Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) to discontinue the excessive imposition of fines and broadcasting bans restricting the legitimate freedom of expression of Turkish journalists and broadcasters; is concerned by the RTÜK’s decision to expand government control over international press outlets by applying broadcasting requirements to Deutsche Welle, Euronews and Voice of America; calls on the chair of the Press Advertising Agency (BIK) to ensure that bans on public advertising do not serve to suppress independent media reporting; calls on the Director of Communications at the Turkish Presidency, to ensure the timely processing of press card applications and to discontinue the use of criminal complaints and belligerent rhetoric targeting journalists; calls on the Turkish Grand National Assembly to follow-up on the Turkish Constitutional Court’s judgement of January 2022 requesting to reformulate Article 9 of the Internet Law to protect the freedoms of expression and the press;

Amendment 244 #

Susanna CECCARDI, Anna BONFRISCO, Marco ZANNI, Thierry MARIANI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Asserts that the continued prosecution, censorship and harassment of journalists and independent media remains an issue of concern; is concerned that today about 90% of the national media are controlled by the Turkish government by means of regulators such as the High Council for Broadcasting (RTÜK); is concerned about RTÜKʼs threat to block the international media outlets Deutsche Welle, Euronews and Voice of America if they do not apply for broadcasting licenses which allow the watchdog oversight of the outlet’s content; calls on an end to the discriminatory issuing of punitive measures against independent broadcasters by RTÜK;

Amendment 245 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Asserts that the continued prosecution, censorship and harassment of journalists and independent media remains an issue of concern; regrets that tens of thousands of Turkish journalist have been charged and sentenced over the crime of insulting Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the seven years since he became president, including the most recent case of Sedef Kabas, a Turkish journalist jailed for reciting a proverb;

Amendment 246 #

Nathalie LOISEAU, Frédérique RIES, Christophe GRUDLER, Urmas PAET, Ramona STRUGARIU, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ, Malik AZMANI, Hilde VAUTMANS

10. ~~Asserts that~~Condemns the continued prosecution, censorship and harassment of journalists and independent media ~~remains an issue of concer~~in Turkey; is concerned as well by the targeting of journalists and opponents in the European Union, as was the case of Turkish journalist Erk Acarer in Berlin;

Amendment 247 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Asserts that the continued prosecution, censorship and harassment of journalists and independent media remains an issue of concern, which needs to be addressed without delay, as it is degrading the democratic fibre of the Turkish society; welcomes the further decrease in the number of journalists in prison in Turkey;

Amendment 248 #

Nathalie LOISEAU, Frédérique RIES, Christophe GRUDLER, Urmas PAET, Ramona STRUGARIU, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ, Malik AZMANI, Hilde VAUTMANS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10 a. Regrets that there is growing economic leverage on behalf of the government, including non-transparent distribution of public funds (advertising, public tenders), which allows almost complete control of mass media;

Amendment 249 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10 a. Is worried by the increasing number of fake news in Turkish social media environment; is also worried by the spread of state propaganda, in particular from the state-run news agency Anadolu;

Amendment 25 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 7

— having regard to the relevant resolutions by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, including the interim resolution of 2 December 2021 on the execution of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in Kavala against Turkey, the interim resolution of 2 December 2021 on the execution of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in Selahattin Demirtaş v Turkey (No. 2), ~~and~~ the interim resolution of 2 February 2022 on the execution of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in Kavala against Turkey, and the interim resolution of 16September 2021 on the execution of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in Cyprus v. Turkey,

Amendment 250 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Takes note of the adoption of the fourth and fifth judicial packages in Turkey during 2021; asserts, however, that the current problems stem not only from problematic legislation, but are often caused by a failure to implement existing adequate provisions; remains concerned about the erosion of the rule of law and ~~judicial independence in Turkey;~~ the lack of independence of the judiciary in Turkey, coupled with the chilling effect of the mass dismissals carried out by the Government in the past years which undermine the capacity of the judiciary as a whole to provide an effective remedy for human rights violations, both in regard to measures taken under the state of emergency, and in general; notes with regret that in this context, the judicial reforms do not tackle these fundamental shortcomings; is highly concerned by the application of vague and overly broad terrorism measures including by restricting due process guarantees, prolonging the duration of pre-trial detention and allowing for continued dismissals of public officials because of alleged links to terrorist organisations, aiming to pursue politically motivated prosecutions of political opponents and mute human rights defenders, journalists and academic; strongly condemns the dismissals and forced removals of a large number of Turkish judges and prosecutors; recalls that any dismissals and appointments within the judiciary should be subjected to particularly exacting scrutiny, that the executive branch shall be prohibited to interfere with or attempt to exert influence over the judiciary and that the appointment of the judiciary shall respect the principles of independence and impartiality; is appalled by a reported pattern of persecution of lawyers representing individuals accused of terrorism, whereby lawyers were prosecuted for the same crime as that attributed to their client, or a related crime, in a context where this constituted a clear obstacle to the enjoyment of the right to fair trial and access to justice; urges the Turkish government to guarantee the independent work of lawyers and to release anyone illegally detained simply for performing their legal duties;

Amendment 251 #

11. Takes note of the adoption of the fourth and fifth judicial packages in Turkey during 2021; which contain steps in the right direction although modest and not addressing the main concerns; asserts, however, that the current problems stem not only from problematic legislation, but are often caused by a failure to implement existing adequate provisions; remains concerned about the erosion of the rule of law and judicial independence in Turkey; notes in this regard the appointment of Irfan Fidan to the Turkish Constitutional Court in January 2021 after serving just twenty days on the Court of Cassation and previously acting as Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor, where Mr Fidan was involved in the controversial cases brought against Osman Kavala, the Gezi Park protestors, and journalists Can Dündar and Erdem Gül, among others; points out the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK), which isled by the Minister of Justice as its president and Mr Mehmet Akif Ekinci as its acting president, as the main element of concern with regard to the lack of judicial independence; reiterates its call for the shortcomings in the structure and process for the selection of the members of this Council to be addressed with a view to ensuring its independence and putting an end to its arbitrary decisions;

Amendment 252 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Takes note of the adoption of the fourth and fifth judicial packages in Turkey during 2021 which contain steps in the right direction although modest and not addressing the main concerns; asserts, however, that the current problems stem not only from problematic legislation, but are often caused by a failure to implement existing adequate provisions; remains concerned about the erosion of the rule of law and judicial independence in Turkey; notes in this regard the appointment of Irfan Fidan to the Turkish Constitutional Court in January 2021 after serving just twenty days on the Court of Cassation and previously acting as Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor, where Mr Fidan was involved in the controversial cases brought against Osman Kavala, the Gezi Park protestors, and journalists Can Dündar and Erdem Gül, among others; points out the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK), which isled by the Minister of Justice as its president and Mr Mehmet Akif Ekinci as its acting president, as the main element of concern with regard to the lack of judicial independence; reiterates its call for the shortcomings in the structure and process for the selection of the members of this Council to be addressed with a view to ensuring its independence and putting an end to its arbitrary decisions;

Amendment 253 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Takes note of the adoption of the fourth and fifth judicial packages in Turkey during 2021 which contain steps in the right direction although modest and not addressing the main concerns; asserts, however, that the current problems stem not only from problematic legislation, but are often caused by a failure to implement existing adequate provisions; remains concerned about the erosion of the rule of law and judicial independence in Turkey; notes in this regard the appointment to the Turkish Constitutional Court in January 2021 of a judge who had served just twenty days on the Court of Cassation and who had previously acted as Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor, being involved in the controversial cases brought against Osman Kavala, the Gezi Park protestors, and journalists Can Dündar and Erdem Gül, among others; points out the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK), as the main element of concern with regard to the lack of judicial independence; reiterates its call for the shortcomings in the structure and process for the selection of the members of this Council to be addressed with a view to ensuring its independence and putting an end to its arbitrary decisions;

Amendment 254 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

Amendment 255 #

Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, Elissavet VOZEMBERG-VRIONIDI, Maria SPYRAKI, Emmanouil KEFALOGIANNIS, Stelios KYMPOUROPOULOS, Theodoros ZAGORAKIS, Lefteris CHRISTOFOROU, Loucas FOURLAS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

Amendment 256 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

Amendment 257 #

Malik AZMANI, Urmas PAET, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

Amendment 258 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 – subparagraph 1 (new)

notes with deep concern that, despite the formal lifting of the state of emergency in July 2018, its impact on democracy and fundamental rights continues to be strongly felt and is still impacting many individuals, among the more than 152000 civil servants, including teachers, doctors, academics (for peace), lawyers, judges and prosecutors, who were arbitrarily dismissed and permanently banned from working in the public sector or even in their profession as a whole; stresses that many of these dismissals continue to have devastating effects on those dismissed as well as their families, including a lasting social and professional stigma; has strong doubts about the functioning of the Inquiry Commission on the State of Emergency Measures (CoSEM) as an internal remedy due to its lack of independence and impartiality; notes that the arbitrary passport cancellations, despite some incremental improvements, remain a major breach of the freedom of movement;

Amendment 259 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11 a. Recalls the unlawful and arbitrary detention of 427 judges and prosecutors in the wake of the attempted coup in July 2016; highlights the ECtHRʼs judgement “Turan vs. Turkey” from 23 November 2021 confirming the Turkish government’s systematic violation of the right to freedom and security as set out on Article 5/1 ECHR; notes with concern the Turkish governments’ refusal to abide by the Courts conclusion; Notes that according to 2021 statistics announced by Robert Spano, President of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), Turkey ranks second after Russia, with 15,250 applications pending at the ECtHR, with two-thirds of them concerning alleged violations in arrests and trials related to the coup attempt of 15 July 2016; hopes that the ECtHR will be able to prioritise and accelerate delivering judgments in the numerous Turkish cases pending before its court;

Amendment 26 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 7

Amendment 260 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Expresses concern about the high and growing number of applications lodged at the Constitutional Court concerning violations of constitutional rights and the lack of changes implemented when such violations are revealed; notes the recent statements by the President of the Constitutional Court, Zühtü Arslan, recognizing that over 73% of the more than 66.000 applications received in 2021 concerned the right for a fair trial, describing this as a “dire situation''; questions the legality of changes in the procedural rules of the court allowing to defer decisions by a year; notes the adoption of a new human rights action plan by the Turkish authorities in March 2021 as welcome in principle, even though it leaves a number of underlying issues unaddressed; calls on the Turkish government to make the action plan real by inter alia discontinuing the selective interpretation of the Treaty of Lausanne’s provisions on minority rights, including by granting legal personality and education rights to any religious minority whether Muslim, Christian or other; calls on Turkey’s government to step up ongoing efforts related, among others, to the public recognition of the Alevi identity, the legal status of cemevis and their funding, in compliance with relevant ECtHR judgments on compulsory religion and ethics classes and Alevi worship places; urges Turkey’s authorities to increase their efforts to effectively address the dire situation of Roma, in particular with regard to housing and education, as they continue to suffer severe levels of poverty, unemployment, discrimination and exclusion; Calls on the full implementation of ECtHR judgments regarding conscientious objection; notes in this regard the action plan submitted by Turkish authorities to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and encourages them to develop further measures to ensure, through the necessary legislation, a fair and accessible exercise of the right to conscientious objection to military service;

Amendment 261 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

Amendment 262 #

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES, Giuliano PISAPIA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12 a. Notes the adoption of a new human rights action plan by the Turkish authorities in March 2021 as welcome in principle, even though it leaves a number of underlying issues unaddressed; calls on the Turkish government to make the action plan real by inter alia discontinuing the selective interpretation of the Treaty of Lausanne’s provisions on minority rights, including by granting legal personality and education rights to any religious minority whether Muslim, Christian or other; calls on Turkey’s government to step up ongoing efforts related, among others, to the public recognition of the Alevi identity, the legal status of cemevis and their funding, in compliance with relevant ECtHR judgments on compulsory religion and ethics classes and Alevi worship places; urges Turkey’s authorities to increase their efforts to effectively address the dire situation of Roma, in particular with regard to housing and education, as they continue to suffer severe levels of poverty, unemployment, discrimination and exclusion;

Amendment 263 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12 a. Calls on Turkey to cooperate with the EU and the Council of Europe and its relevant bodies on deep and urgent reforms in these areas and in addressing their key recommendations, and fully implement all judgements of the European Court of Human Rights in line with Article 46 of the ECHR, as well as the payment of just satisfaction awarded by the ECtHR, an unconditional obligation deriving from Turkey’s membership of the Council of Europe;

Amendment 264 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12 a. Expresses concern about the growing number of applications regarding conscientious objection at the Constitutional Court since the first application in 2017 that have been pending without any essential communication with the applicants;

Amendment 265 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)

12 b. Calls on the full implementation of ECtHR judgments regarding conscientious objection; notes in this regard the action plan submitted by Turkish authorities to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and encourages them to develop further measures to ensure, through the necessary legislation, a fair and accessible exercise of the right to conscientious objection to military service;

Amendment 266 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Regrets the sustained pressure on civil society and human rights defenders and the continuously shrinking space to operate freely in Turkey; denounces the intimidation, harassment and violence exerted against human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, academics, doctors who have provided assistance to the victims of torture, and other activists, especially those in the Kurdish community, and the arbitrary closure of civil society organisations, including prominent human rights non- governmental organisations and media; reiterates its call on Turkey’s government to review the Law on Preventing Financing of Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction of December 2020, which grants the Turkish Interior Ministry and the president extensive authority to restrict the activities of non- governmental organisations, business partnerships, independent groups and associations and appears to be aimed at further limiting, restricting and controlling civil society; calls on the EU and its Member States to exert greater pressure on the Turkish Government and to step up their support for human rights defenders and independent civil society in Turkey, including through relevant financial instruments; calls on the Commission to provide, through the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) III and relevant programmes of the NDICI-Global Europe instrument, sufficient funding for civil society, non- state actors and people-to-people contacts in order to prioritise the pro-democracy efforts; calls on the Commission to explore the funding of local governments concerning projects of mutual interest;

Amendment 267 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

Amendment 268 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Regrets the sustained pressure on civil society and human rights defenders and the continuously shrinking space to operate freely in Turkey; denounces the legal and administrative harassment and violence against human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, academics, which particularly the Kurdish community suffers from; denounces the arbitrary closure of renowned civil society organisations and media outlets; calls on Turkey to view critical or dissenting voices, including human rights defenders, academics and journalists, as valuable contributors to social dialogue, rather than destabilising forces; notes with concern the grave impediment on the freedom to associate peacefully through the Law on Preventing Financing of Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction; is concerned by the observations from the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights and Parliamentary Assembly, who point that human rights organisations were the first to be audited pursuant to this law; urges Turkey to review the Law and to repeal the 36 articles of the Law which are not related to the prevention of financing or proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, in particular those articles which unduly target civil society;

Amendment 269 #

Marc ANGEL, Malin BJÖRK, Fabio Massimo CASTALDO, Terry REINTKE, Pierre KARLESKIND, Maria WALSH, Frédérique RIES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Dietmar KÖSTER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Regrets the sustained ~~pressure~~harassment onf civil society and human rights defenders and the continuously shrinking space to operate freely in Turkey; notes the grave impediment on their freedom to associate peacefully through the Law on Preventing Financing of Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction; is concerned by the observations from the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights and Parliamentary Assembly, who point that human rights organisations were the first to be audited pursuant to this law; urges Turkey to review the articles of the Law which are not related to the prevention of financing or proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, in particular those articles which unduly target civil society;

Amendment 27 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 7

— having regard to the relevant resolutions by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, including the interim resolution of 2 December 2021 on the execution of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in Kavala against Turkey, the interim resolution of 2 December 2021 on the execution of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in Selahattin Demirtaş v Turkey (No. 2), and the interim resolution of 2 February 2022 on the execution of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in Kavala against Turkey, and the resolution of 17 October 2007 and the interim resolution of 9 March 2009 and the following 9 decisions on the execution of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in Ülke v. Turkey;

Amendment 270 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

Amendment 271 #

Malik AZMANI, Urmas PAET, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nathalie LOISEAU, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Frédérique RIES, Dragoş TUDORACHE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Regrets the sustained pressure on civil society and human rights defenders and the continuously shrinking space to operate freely in Turkey; notes that discontent for the repressive government posture is growing within civil society, and this tendency has been clearly shown by the results of 2019 municipal elections; calls on the EU to continue supporting NGOs, civil society organisations and other relevant stakeholders that aim to reinforce civil rights in the country;

Amendment 272 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Regrets the sustained ~~pressure~~legal and administrative pressure by the Turkish government on civil society ~~and~~, human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, academics, ethnic and religious minorities and numerous Turkish citizens and the continuously shrinking space to operate freely in Turkey;

Amendment 273 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 – subparagraph 1 (new)

Urges to prioritize the vibrant civil society in Turkey and their pro-democracy efforts which could contribute to generating the political will necessary for strengthening EU-Turkey relations; encourages a new and immediate constructive dialogue mechanism with the Turkish civil society for mutual confidence building and for sustaining the democratic and pro- European aspirations of Turkish society, supporting an exchange which should concentrate in particular on democratisation, human rights, rule of law, good governance, sustainable development, green and digital transition;

Amendment 274 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13a. Regrets profoundly the continuing parlous situation in 2021 regarding fundamental rights and freedoms in Turkey, especially religious freedom and particularly that of Christian minorities that are increasingly suffering attacks, discrimination and marginalisation and even the conversion of Christian temples into mosques, as in the case of the Hagia Sophia, which is a clear affront to Christianity, in an attempt to oppose other religions inside and outside its borders, using Islam as a political weapon, something which poses a serious threat to the peace and well-being of both Europe and Turkey itself; regrets that the government has continued to reinforce a Sunni Islamic interpretation of religious pluralism, to the detriment of religious tolerance and the security and welfare of religious minorities; calls on it to actively combat common acts of vandalism and hate speech directed at minority religious communities; urges the Turkish Government to adopt a new human rights action plan to thoroughly address freedom of religion or belief;

Amendment 275 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13 a. Regrets that religious freedom conditions in Turkey have remained poor during 2021 and that the government continued to further empower one interpretation of Sunni Islam over religious pluralism, to the detriment of religious tolerance and the safety and well-being of religious minorities; deplores that religious minority communities face a constant battle to retain and pass on their cultural and religious heritage; calls on the government to actively combat the common acts of vandalism and hate speech targeting religious minority communities; calls on the Turkish government to thoroughly address freedom of religion or belief in the new human rights action plan, by halting the selective interpretation of the Treaty of Lausanne’s provisions on minority rights, including by granting legal personality and education rights to all religious minority organizations, including Christians, non-Sunni Muslims and Alevi and others by and providing funding and subsidies to religious organizations in a non-discriminatory manner;

Amendment 276 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13 a. Underlines the importance of continued financial support from the EU to Turkish civil society, human rights defenders and journalists in order to promote democracy and increase people-to-people contacts;

Amendment 277 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)

13 b. Expresses its concern that the pandemic has fostered an increase in anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic rhetoric in Turkey, including by President Erdogan himself; calls on Turkey to actively combat anti-Semitism in all its forms in its society;

Amendment 278 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Continues to urge the Turkish Government to release Osman Kavala after more than four years of detention; ~~reiterates its call on the Turkish authorities to abide by the final judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in this case;~~ believes that he is unlawfully held in prison on unjustified charges, for the purpose of silencing and deterring critical voices in Turkey; reiterates its call on the Turkish authorities to abide by the final judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in this case; deplores the continued efforts to extend Mr Kavala’s imprisonment through a series of complex evasive judicial tactics; points out as one of many irregularities the irrational merging of his case, known as the Gezi trial, with that of other defendants that saw their acquittals overturned over the course of 2021 which was signed off by the same judge who had requested it, from the 30th Heavy Penal Court, through a temporary appointment from one court to the other; condemns the repeated decisions by the Istanbul 30th Heavy Penal Court and the Istanbul13th Heavy Penal Court, newly responsible after merging of the cases, to prolong the detention of Mr Kavala in violation of his right to freedom and security, most recently on 21 February 2022, when the court also ruled to split once again both cases, in the last example of an incomprehensible judiciary process; is appalled by the recent final opinion by Istanbul Public Prosecutor requesting aggravated life sentence for Mr Kavala under article 312 of the Turkish Criminal Code (attempting to overthrow the Government by force and violence) even if the ECtHR has already and specifically dismissed this accusation in its rulings; takes note of the recurrent decisions by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe urging Mr Kavala’s release, which culminated in the historical launching of infringement proceedings through interim-resolutions in December 2021 and February 2022 over Turkey’s refusal to abide by the ECtHR’s final judgement;

Amendment 279 #

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Continues to urge the Turkish Government to release Osman Kavala after more than four years of detention; ~~reiterates its call on the Turkish authorities to abide by the final judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in this case;~~ believes that he is unlawfully held in prison on unjustified charges, for the purpose of silencing and deterring critical voices in Turkey; reiterates its call on the Turkish authorities to abide by the final judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in this case; ; deplores the continued efforts to extend Mr Kavala’s imprisonment through a series of complex evasive judicial tactics; points out as one of many irregularities the irrational merging of his case with that of other defendants that saw their acquittals overturned over the course of 2021 which was signed off by the same judge who had requested it, Mahmut Başbuğ from the 30th Heavy Penal Court, through a temporary appointment from one court to the other; condemns the repeated decisions by the Istanbul 30th Heavy Penal Court and the Istanbul 13th Heavy Penal Court, newly responsible after merging of the cases and presided by judge Mesut Özdemir, to prolong the detention of Mr Kavala in violation of his right to freedom and security, most recently on 17 January 2022; takes note of the recurrent decisions by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe urging Mr Kavala’s release, which culminated in the historical launching of infringement proceedings through interim-resolutions in December 2021 and February 2022 over Turkey’s refusal to abide by the ECtHR’s final judgement;

Amendment 28 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 7

— having regard to the relevant resolutions by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, including the interim resolution of 2 December 2021 on the execution of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in Kavala against Turkey, the interim resolution of 2 December 2021 on the execution of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in Selahattin Demirtaş v Turkey (No. 2), ~~and~~ the interim resolution of 2 February 2022 on the execution of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in Kavala against Turkey and the interim resolution of 16th September 2021 on the execution of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in Cyprus v. Turkey,

Amendment 280 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Continues to urge the Turkish Government to release Osman Kavala after more than four years of detention; ~~reiterates its call on the Turkish authorities to abide by the final judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in this case;~~ believes that he is unlawfully held in prison on unjustified charges, for the purpose of silencing and deterring critical voices in Turkey; reiterates its call on the Turkish authorities to abide by the final judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in this case; deplores the continued efforts to extend Mr Kavala’s imprisonment through a series of complex evasive judicial tactics; points out as one of many irregularities the irrational merging of his case with that of other defendants that saw their acquittals overturned over the course of 2021 which was signed off by the same judge who had requested it, Mahmut Başbuğ from the 30th Heavy Penal Court, through a temporary appointment from one court to the other; condemns the repeated decisions by the Istanbul 30th Heavy Penal Court and the Istanbul 13thHeavy Penal Court, newly responsible after merging of the cases and presided by judge Mesut Özdemir, to prolong the detention of Mr Kavala in violation of his right to freedom and security, most recently on 17 January 2022; takes note of the recurrent decisions by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe urging Mr Kavala’s release, which culminated in the historical launching of infringement proceedings through interim-resolutions in December 2021 and February 2022 over Turkey’s refusal to abide by the ECtHR’s final judgement;

Amendment 281 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Continues to urge the Turkish Government to release Osman Kavala after more than four years of unjust and unlawful detention; reiterates its call on the Turkish authorities to abide in full by the final judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in this case; condemns the attempts to prolong Osman Kavalaʼs detention through judicial tactics including the merging and disjoining of case files; notes that the infringement proceedings by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe against Turkey highlight the seriousness of Turkeyʼs violations of its obligations as a member of the CoE and an EU candidate country.

Amendment 282 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Continues to urge the Turkish Government to release Osman Kavala after more than four years of detention; reiterates its call on the Turkish authorities to abide by the final judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in this case; welcomes the decision of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to start an infringement procedure against Turkey due to its refusal to implement the decision of the ECtHR;

Amendment 283 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Continues to urge the Turkish Government to release Osman Kavala after more than four years of detention; reiterates its call on the Turkish authorities to abide by the final judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in this case and highlights the Council of Europe's decision to launch infringement proceedings in this regard;

Amendment 284 #

Malik AZMANI, Urmas PAET, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nathalie LOISEAU, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Dragoş TUDORACHE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Continues to urge the Turkish Government to release Osman Kavala after more than four years of detention; reiterates its call on the Turkish authorities to act in conformity with their international obligations and to abide by the final judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in this case;

Amendment 285 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Continues to urge the Turkish Government to release Osman Kavala after more than four years of unlawful and illegitimate detention; reiterates its call on the Turkish authorities to abide by the final judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in this case;

Amendment 286 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Urges the Turkish Government to implement the individual and general measures enshrined in the interim resolution concerning conscientious objection, calling on the Turkish government to constitutionally adopt conscientious objection as an exercise of freedom of thought, conscience and religion in accordance with the recommendations of the Committee of Ministers; urges to make necessary legal amendments to cease the cycle of prosecutions and punishments, as well as all the restrictions that prevents conscientious objectors to vote and to be elected, to work at state and private sectors, to have a bank account, to continue their higher education, to travel and accommodate freely, i.e. continue a living as equal citizens;

Amendment 287 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Condemns the oppression of ethnic and religious minorities, including that the languages of groups such as the Kurdish community remains prohibited as “mother-language” in education and in all areas of public life by the Turkish Constitution; is reminding that this is a violation of International law which protects the rights of persons to assert their membership in an ethnic or religious minority and to express themselves in the minority’s traditional language.

Amendment 288 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Strongly condemns the Turkish government's continued restrictive and intrusive policies on minority groups' religious freedom as well as the increase in incidents of vandalism and societal violence against religious minorities in 2021; recalls that freedom of religion or belief is a human right and calls on the Turkish government to respect it at all times;

Amendment 289 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Underlines Turkey's refusal to implement recommendations included in reports by the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture, including the situation of five inmates in the Imrali Island prison who are under absolute isolation and cannot meet even their lawyers and family members for years;

Amendment 29 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)

— having regard to Article 46 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which states that the contracting parties undertake to abide by the final judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in any case to which they are parties, and, therefore, to the obligation of Turkey to implement all judgements of the ECtHR,

Amendment 290 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Calls upon the Turkish authorities to demonstrate zero tolerance towards all incidents of physical and verbal abuse or threats against journalists, activists, trade unionists, members of political opposition and members of all minorities;

Amendment 291 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)

14 b. Is deeply worried about the arbitrary restrictions imposed on prisoners' rights to medical treatment and visitation;

Amendment 292 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)

14 b. Deplores that Turkey continues to provide financial and other support to the Muslim Brotherhood;

Amendment 293 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)

14 b. Underlines the need to resume the Kurdish peace process;

Amendment 294 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

Amendment 295 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Expresses deep concern about the deterioration in the human rights situation for LGBTI people, in particular with regard to physical attacks – especially against transgender persons – the protracted bans on Pride marches across the country, restrictions on the freedoms of assembly, association and expression, and censorship in the media; deplores the increasingly homophobic stance of Turkey’s government and the use of hate speech against LGBTI people by high-level officials, that aims at stigmatizing and criminalizing the LGBTI community and can serve as breeding ground for hate crimes; follows with grave concern the ongoing trial against the Ankara Bar Association’s executive board and president, in which the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, led by Chief Public Prosecutor Ahmet Akça, seeks up to two years of prison for allegedly “insulting a public officer” when criticizing the head of the Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), Ali Erbaş, for the openly homophobic statements he made in 14 April 2020 stating that "Islam curses homosexuality (...) because it brings about disease and rots generations"; urges Turkey’s authorities to put in place the necessary legal measures to end any discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in line with article 21 of the EU Charter of fundamental rights;

Amendment 296 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Expresses deep concern about the deterioration in the human rights situation for LGBTI people, in particular with regard to physical attacks – especially against transgender persons – the protracted bans on Pride marches across the country, restrictions on the freedoms of assembly, association and expression, and censorship in the media; deplores the increasingly homophobic stance of Turkey’s government and the use of hate speech against LGBTI people by high-level officials, that aims at stigmatizing and criminalizing the LGBTI community and can serve as breeding ground for hate crimes; follows with grave concern the ongoing trial against the Ankara Bar Association’s executive board and president, in which the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, seeks up to two years of prison for allegedly “insulting a public officer” when criticizing the head of the Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), for the openly homophobic statements he made in 14 April 2020 stating that "Islam curses homosexuality (...) because it brings about disease and rots generations"; urges Turkey’s authorities to put in place the necessary legal measures to end any discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in line with article 21 of the EU Charter of fundamental rights;

Amendment 297 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Expresses deep concern about the deterioration in the human rights situation for LGBTI people, in particular with regard to ~~physical attack~~hate crimes – especially against transgender persons – the protracted bans on Pride marches across the country, restrictions on the freedoms of assembly, association and expression, and censorship in the media; and online; recalls the need to adopt measures to ensure all citizens can enjoy these freedom safely; notes with concern the increasing hate speech and smear campaigns by high-ranking central government and public officials against LGBTI persons; is concerned about the examples of the criminal investigations against the Istanbul, Ankara and Diyarbakir bar associations and the case of the participants in the 2019 METU Pride; welcomes the acquittal of the latter; recalls that Turkey’s obligations under the ECHR entail a responsibility to combat discrimination and violence against LGBTI persons; calls on authorities to align its criminal legislation concerning homophobic and transphobic hate crimes with ECRI’s General Policy Recommendation 7; urges Turkey to drop all charges against peaceful participants of LGBTI events and lift the protracted bans on Pride events;

Amendment 298 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

Amendment 299 #

Marc ANGEL, Malin BJÖRK, Fabio Massimo CASTALDO, Terry REINTKE, Pierre KARLESKIND, Maria WALSH, Frédérique RIES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Dietmar KÖSTER, Malik AZMANI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Expresses deep concern about the state-sponsored deterioration in the human rights situation for LGBTI people, in particular with regard to ~~physical attack~~hate crimes – especially against transgender persons –, the protracted bans on Pride marches across the country, restrictions on the freedoms of assembly, association and expression, and censorship in the media; and online; recalls the need to adopt measures to ensure all citizens can enjoy these freedom safely; calls on authorities to align its criminal legislation concerning homophobic and transphobic hate crime with ECRI’s General Policy Recommendation 7,1aas requested by ECRI in its 2019 conclusions1b; urges authorities to lift the protracted bans on Pride events; _________________ 1a ECRI General Policy Recommendation No. 7 on National Legislation to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination, accessible at https://rm.coe.int/ecri- general-policy-recommendation-no-7- revised-on-national-legislatio/16808b5aae 1b ECRI country monitoring conclusions on Turkey, accessible at https://rm.coe.int/interim-follow-up- conclusions-on-turkey-5th-monitoring- cycle-/168094ce03

Amendment 3 #

Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, Stelios KYMPOUROPOULOS, Maria SPYRAKI, Elissavet VOZEMBERG-VRIONIDI, Emmanouil KEFALOGIANNIS, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Georgios KYRTSOS

Motion for a resolution
Citation 2

— having regard to the Negotiating — Framework for Turkey of 3 October 2005, and to the fact that, as it is the case for all candidate countries, Turkey’s accession to the EU depends on full compliance with the Copenhagen criteria, and to the need to normalize its relations with all EU Member States , including the Republic of Cyprus

Amendment 30 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)

— having regard to the UNESCO statement of 10 July 2020 on Hagia Sophia, Istanbul

Amendment 300 #

Malik AZMANI, Urmas PAET, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nathalie LOISEAU, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Frédérique RIES, Dragoş TUDORACHE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Expresses deep concern about the deterioration in the human rights situation ~~for LGBTI people, in particular~~in the country, especially regarding minorities and vulnerable groups, including women, ethnic, religious (where we emphasise the persecution of Christians) and sexual minorities; deplores the difficult situation faced by LGBTI people with regard to physical attacks – especially against transgender persons – the protracted bans on Pride marches across the country, restrictions on the freedoms of assembly, association and expression, and censorship in the media;

Amendment 301 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

Amendment 302 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Calls on the Turkish authorities to promote positive and effective reforms in the area of the freedom of thought, conscience and religion by enabling religious communities to obtain legal personality, and by applying Venice Commission recommendations on the status of religious communities, all relevant ECtHR rulings and Council of Europe resolutions, including on the Greek Orthodox population of the islands of Gokceada (Imbros) and Bozcaada (Tenedos); notes that following the decision to turn Hagia Sophia into a mosque in July 2020, another museum among the World Heritage Sites in Turkey was converted into a mosque; notes the recent developments with regard to the historical Panaghia Soumela Monastery, when images on social media depicted a foreign band dancing to disco music inside this monument, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative list; notes that no steps were taken to open the Halki (Heybeliada) Greek Orthodox Seminary, closed since 1971; reiterates its call on Turkey to respect the importance of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for Orthodox Christians all over the world, to recognise its legal personality and the public use of the ecclesiastical title of the Ecumenical Patriarch; notes with concern that hate speech and hate crimes against Christians and Jews continued to be reported, Alevis faced hate crimes, and investigations in this regard remained ineffective

Amendment 303 #

Marc ANGEL, Malin BJÖRK, Fabio Massimo CASTALDO, Terry REINTKE, Pierre KARLESKIND, Maria WALSH, Frédérique RIES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Dietmar KÖSTER, Malik AZMANI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Notes with concern the increasing hate speech and smear campaigns by high-ranking central government and public officials against LGBTI persons; considers that this constitutes a worrying trend and a powerful enabler of increased harassment, discrimination and potential violence; recalls that Turkey’s obligations under the ECHR entail a responsibility to combat discrimination and violence against LGBTI persons and urges authorities to deliver on their commitments;

Amendment 304 #

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Calls on Turkey to cooperate with relevant international organizations, especially the Council of Europe, in preventing and combatting illicit trafficking and the deliberate destruction of cultural heritage within Turkey and the occupied part of Cyprus; stresses the importance of pursuing dialogue with relevant international organisations and the EU on the preservation of cultural and religious heritage;

Amendment 305 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Condemns the continuous repression on academic institutions, in particular Boğaziçi University and the university’s professors and students; welcomes the statement by the EEAS from 4 February 2021, which recalled that the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be used as a means to silence critical voices;

Amendment 306 #

Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, Elissavet VOZEMBERG-VRIONIDI, Maria SPYRAKI, Emmanouil KEFALOGIANNIS, Theodoros ZAGORAKIS, Loucas FOURLAS, Lefteris CHRISTOFOROU, Stelios KYMPOUROPOULOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Notes with deep concern the practice of arbitrary deprivation of liberty, including the mass detention of people suspected of having links to the Gulen movement or pro-Kurdish political groups; condemns the widespread use of pretrial detention as a means of stifling dissent;

Amendment 307 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Is concerned that full respect for and protection of language, religion, culture, cultural heritage and fundamental rights of minorities in accordance with European standards have yet to be achieved and calls upon Turkey to take action.

Amendment 308 #

Marc ANGEL, Malin BJÖRK, Fabio Massimo CASTALDO, Terry REINTKE, Pierre KARLESKIND, Maria WALSH, Frédérique RIES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Dietmar KÖSTER, Malik AZMANI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)

15 b. Highlights the pattern of use of judicial proceedings to silence human rights defenders, NGOs and lawyers and to curtail activism, in particular LGBTI rights defenders;1a notes the examples of the criminal investigations against the Istanbul, Ankara and Diyarbakir bar associations and the case of the participants in the 2019 METU Pride; welcomes the acquittal of the latter; calls on Turkey to drop all charges against peaceful participants of LGBTI events; _________________ 1a Letter of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe of 17 June 2021 concerning the human rights of LGBTI people, accessible at https://rm.coe.int/letter-to-mr-suleyman- soylu-minister-of-interior-and-mr- abdulhamit-gul/1680a2e486

Amendment 309 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)

15 b. Denounces the discrimination and mistreatment of religious and ethnic minorities, particularly the Kurdish community, Armenians, Roma and Alevis; urges Turkey to put in place a comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation, including a prohibition of discrimination on the grounds of ethnic origin, colour, language, citizenship, sexual orientation and gender identity aimed at combating racism and homo/transphobia.

Amendment 31 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 8

— having regard to the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council on Cyprus, including resolution 186(1964) which reaffirms the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus, 550(1984) of 11 May 1984 on secessionist actions in Cyprus and resolution 789(1992) of 25 November 1992 urging all concerned in the Cyprus question to commit themselves to the confidence-building measures set out in the resolution, whilst reaffirming the consideration of resolution 550 (1984) that any attempts to settle any part of Varosha by people other than its inhabitants are inadmissible and calls for the transfer of that area to the administration of the United Nations;

Amendment 310 #

Marc ANGEL, Malin BJÖRK, Fabio Massimo CASTALDO, Terry REINTKE, Pierre KARLESKIND, Maria WALSH, Frédérique RIES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Dietmar KÖSTER, Malik AZMANI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 c (new)

15 c. Condemns the continuous repression on academic institutions, in particular Boğaziçi University and the university’s professors and students; welcomes the statement by the EEAS, which recalled that the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be used as a means to silence critical voices and which condemned the hate speech by high-level officials against LGBTI students;1a _________________ 1a EEAS, “Turkey: Statement by the Spokesperson on the detentions of students and developments around Boğaziçi university", accessible at https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/head quarters-homepage/92622/turkey- statement-spokesperson-detentions- students-and-developments-around- boğaziçi-university_en

Amendment 311 #

Malik AZMANI, Urmas PAET, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nathalie LOISEAU, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Dragoş TUDORACHE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Is deeply concerned about the constant attacks ~~and~~, pressure onand closings of the opposition parties, particularly the HDP and the Republican People’s Party (CHP), is reminded that the Constitutional Court has in the past banned six pro-Kurdish political parties; which undermine the proper functioning of the democratic system; stresses that democracy presupposes an environment in which political parties, civil society and the media can function without threats or arbitrary restrictions;

Amendment 312 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Is deeply concerned about the constant attacks, imprisonment of members of the opposition and pressure on the opposition parties, particularly the HDP and the Republican People’s Party (CHP), which undermine the proper functioning of the democratic system; stresses that democracy presupposes an environment in which political parties, civil society and the media can function without threats or arbitrary restrictions;

Amendment 313 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Is deeply concerned about the constant attacks and pressure on the opposition parties, particularly the HDP and others, including the Republican People’s Party (CHP), which undermine the proper functioning of the democratic system; stresses that democracy presupposes an environment in which political parties, civil society and the media can function without threats or arbitrary restrictions;

Amendment 314 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Notes with great concern that the HDP and its party organisations have been specifically and continuously targeted by the Turkish authorities, leading to a situation where over 4 000 HDP members are currently in prison; continues to strongly condemn the continued detention since November 2016 of Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, the former co-chairs of the HDP; is appalled by the Turkish authorities’ continuous disregard for and failure to apply the rulings of the ECtHR that oblige Turkey to immediately release Mr Demirtaş; condemns the indictment in pursuit of the HDP party’s closure and the political banning for nearly 500 HDP politicians, including most of its current leadership, that was filed by the Chief Public Prosecutor of Turkey’s Court of Cassation, Bekir Şahin, and accepted by unanimity by Turkey’s Constitutional Court in June 2021; notes with grave concern that the HDP dissolution case is the culmination of a crackdown on the party that has been going on for several years, and reiterates that banning the party would be a serious political mistake as an irreversible blow to pluralism and democratic principles; further highlights the role of the Ankara 22nd Heavy Penal Court in the so-called ‘Kobane case’ against 108 HDP politicians, and points to the special role of prosecutor Ahmet Altun, and in particular demands clarity over the alleged political interference documented among the file; further questions how the court managed to examine and accept a 3530-page document in a week, without hearing defendants; Is concerned by the ongoing case against CHP Vicechair Gökçe Gökçen, in the framework of an investigation against the whole Executive Board of the party for the publication and distribution of a booklet; is shocked by the fact that, among the three lawsuits filed against her, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, led by Chief Public Prosecutor Ahmet Akça, charged her with the crime of physically assaulting the president, which comes with a minimum five year prison sentence, related to this brochure’s publication; notes that, while this lawsuit has been dismissed by the Ankara18th High Criminal Court, the other two lawsuits for slander, incitement towards hatred and defamation against the President still continue; remains seriously concerned about the continuous political and judicial harassment of Canan Kaftancıoğlu, Istanbul provincial chair of the CHP, through a growing number of lawsuits against her;

Amendment 315 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Notes with great concern that the HDP and its party organisations have been specifically and continuously targeted by the Turkish authorities, leading to a situation where over 4 000 HDP members are currently in prison; continues to strongly condemn the continued detention since November 2016 of Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, the former co-chairs of the HDP; is appalled by the Turkish authorities’ continuous disregard for and failure to apply the rulings of the ECtHR that oblige Turkey to immediately release Mr Demirtaş; condemns the indictment in pursuit of the HDP party’s closure and the political banning for nearly 500 HDP politicians, including most of its current leadership, that was filed by the Chief Public Prosecutor of Turkey’s Court of Cassation, Bekir Şahin, and accepted by unanimity by Turkey’s Constitutional Court in June 2021; notes with grate concern that the HDP dissolution case is the culmination of a crackdown on the party that has been going on for several years, and reiterates that banning the party would be a serious political mistake as an irreversible blow to pluralism and democratic principles; further highlights the role of the Ankara 22nd HeavyPenal Court in the so-called ‘Kobane case’ against 108 HDP politicians, and points to the special role of prosecutor Ahmet Altun, and in particular demands clarity over the alleged political interference documented among the file;further questions how the court managed to examine and accept a 3530-pagedocument in a week, without hearing defendants; Is concerned by the ongoing case against CHP Vice chair Gökçe Gökçen,in the framework of an investigation against the whole Executive Board of the party for the publication and distribution of a booklet; is shocked by the fact that, among the three lawsuits filed against her, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, led by Chief Public Prosecutor Ahmet Akça, charged her with the crime of physically assaulting the president, which comes with a minimum five year prison sentence, related to this brochure’s publication; notes that, while this lawsuit has been dismissed by the Ankara 18th High Criminal Court, the other two lawsuits for slander, incitement towards hatred and defamation against the President still continue; remains seriously concerned about the continuous political and judicial harassment of Canan Kaftancıoğlu, Istanbul provincial chair of the CHP, through a growing number of lawsuits against her;

Amendment 316 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

Amendment 317 #

Emmanouil FRAGKOS, Angel DZHAMBAZKI, Hermann TERTSCH

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Notes with great concern that the HDP, its elected mayors and its party organisations, especially its youth organisation have been specifically and continuously targeted and criminalised by the Turkish authorities, leading to a situation where over 4 000 HDP members are currently in prison; continues to strongly condemn the continued detention since November 2016 of Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, the former co-chairs of the HDP and calls for their immediate release; condemns in strongest terms the Turkish authorities’ disregard and refusal to abide by rulings of the ECtHR calling for the immediately release of Mr Demirtaş; denounces the governing coalitionʼs relentless attempts to criminalise the legitimate political activities of the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP); is highly concerned that the Constitutional Court accepted an indictment filed by the Court of Cassation chief prosecutor to permanently shut down the HDP and ban 451 politicians from political life; is gravely concerned by the ongoing so- called “Kobani case" against 108 individuals including many HDP politicians which began on 26 April 2021;

Amendment 318 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. ~~Notes with great concern~~Strongly condemns the indictment refilled by Turkey’s Chief Public Prosecutor at the Constitutional Court seeking the dissolution of the HDP and a political ban on nearly 500 HDP members, including most of its current leadership, which would prevent them from conducting any kind of political activity in the next five years and that the HDP and its party organisations have been specifically and continuously targeted by the Turkish authorities, leading to a situation where over 4 000 HDP members are currently in prison; continues to strongly condemn the continued detention since November 2016 of Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, the former co-chairs of the HDP;

Amendment 319 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. NCondemns the indictment in pursuit of the HDP party’s closure and the political banning for nearly 451 HDP politicians; notes with great concern that the HDP and its party organisations have been specifically and continuously targeted by the Turkish authorities, leading to a situation where over 4 000 HDP members are currently in prison; continues to strongly condemn the continued detention since November 2016 of Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, the former co-chairs of the HDP;

Amendment 32 #

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

— having regard to the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council on Cyprus, including resolution 550 (1984) of 11 May 1984 on secessionist actions in Cyprus and resolution 789 (1992) of 25 November 1992 which consider attempts to settle any part of Varosha by people other than its inhabitants as inadmissible, and call for the transfer of that area to the administration of the United Nations, urging all concerned in the Cyprus question to commit themselves to the confidence-building measures set out in the resolution,

Amendment 320 #

Malik AZMANI, Urmas PAET, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nathalie LOISEAU, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

Amendment 321 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Notes with great concern that the HDP, its elected mayors and its party organisations have been specifically and continuously targeted by the Turkish authorities, leading to a situation where over 4 000 HDP members are currently in prison; continues to strongly condemn the continued detention since November 2016 of Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, the former co-chairs of the HDP;

Amendment 322 #

17 a. Is concerned by the ongoing case against CHP Vice chair Gökçe Gökçen, in the framework of an investigation against the whole Executive Board of the party for the publication and distribution of a booklet; is shocked by the fact that, among the three lawsuits filed against her, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, charged her with the crime of physically assaulting the president, which comes with a minimum five year prison sentence, related to this brochure’s publication; notes that, while this lawsuit has been dismissed by the Ankara 18th High Criminal Court, the other two lawsuits for slander, incitement towards hatred and defamation against the President still continue; remains seriously concerned about the continuous political and judicial harassment of Canan Kaftancıoğlu, Istanbul provincial chair of the CHP, through a growing number of lawsuits against her;

Amendment 323 #

Andreas SCHIEDER, Nikolaj VILLUMSEN, François ALFONSI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17 a. is concerned about the arbitrary protraction of the registration process of the Green Party of Turkey, which applied to the Turkish Interior Ministry for a certification of the party’s formation on the day if its establishment in September 2020 but has hitherto not been issued such certificate;

Amendment 324 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17 a. Condemns that 108 people from politics, civil society and the Kurdish liberation movement have been accused of terrorist crimes and murder in dozens of cases in connection with the protests during the IS attack on Kobane in October 2014;

Amendment 325 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Condemns the recurrent use of revocation of the parliamentary status of opposition MPs, which seriously damages the Turkish Parliament’s image as a democratic institution; recalls in this regard the recent judgement by the ECtHR of 1 February 2022 that ruled that the lifting in 2016 of the immunities of 40 MPs of the HDP infringed their right of freedom of expression and freedom of assembly; follows with concern the ongoing summaries of proceedings seeking to lift the legislative immunity of HDP Diyarbakır MP Semra Güzel for alleged "membership of a terrorist organization" related to pictures taken 5 years ago; Reiterates its condemnation of the decision made by the Turkish authorities to remove democratically elected mayors from office on the basis of questionable evidence and replace them with unelected trustees, which undermines local democracy; notes the political, legislative and administrative measures taken by the Turkish Government to paralyse municipalities run by the mayors of opposition parties in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir;

Amendment 326 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Condemns the recurrent use of revocation of the parliamentary status of opposition MPs, which seriously damages the Turkish Parliament’s image as a democratic institution; reiterates its condemnation of the decision made by the Turkish authorities to remove HDP’s over 150 democratically elected Kurdish mayors from office since 2016 on the basis of questionable evidence and replace them with unelected trustees, which undermines local democracy; strongly criticizes the Turkish authorities decision to paralyse municipalities run by mayors of opposition parties in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir; condemns that after the last local elections on 31 March 2019 alone, 32 of the 65 democratically elected HDP mayors in south eastern Turkey were removed by the government and many replaced by trustees;

Amendment 327 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

Amendment 328 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18 a. Reiterates its condemnation of the decision made by the Turkish authorities to remove democratically elected mayors from office on the basis of questionable evidence and replace them with unelected trustees, which undermines local democracy; notes the political, legislative and administrative measures taken by the Turkish Government to paralyse municipalities run by the mayors of opposition parties in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir;

Amendment 329 #

Loucas FOURLAS, Georgios KYRTSOS, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Maria SPYRAKI, Lefteris CHRISTOFOROU, Theodoros ZAGORAKIS, Stelios KYMPOUROPOULOS, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, Emmanouil KEFALOGIANNIS, Elissavet VOZEMBERG-VRIONIDI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18 a. Reiterates its condemnation of the decision made by the Turkish authorities to remove HDP's over 150 democratically elected mayors from office since 2016 on the basis of questionable evidence and replace them with unelected trustees, which undermines local democracy; calls on Turkey to restore the deposed mayors to their office;

Amendment 33 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 8

— having regard to the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council on Cyprus, including resolution 550(1984) of 11 May 1984 on secessionist actions in Cyprus and resolution 789(1992) of 25 November 1992 which consider attempts to settle any part of Varosha by people other than its inhabitants as inadmissible, and call for the transfer of that area to the administration of the United Nations urging all concerned in the Cyprus question to commit themselves to the confidence-building measures set out in the resolution,

Amendment 330 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)

18 b. Calls on Turkey to resume the peace process and reinstate dialogue with the Kurdish movement;

Amendment 331 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

~~19.~~ Recognises that Turkey has ~~19.~~ legitimate security concerns and the right to fight terrorism; stresses, nevertheless, that this must be done with full respect for the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms; ~~reiterates its firm and unambiguous condemnation of the violent terrorist attacks by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been on the EU list of terrorist organisations since 2002~~notes that cases of enforced disappearances still occur in this context, such as the case of Yusuf Bilge Tunç, reiterates its firm and unambiguous condemnation of the violent terrorist attacks; regrets the overly broad anti- terrorism provisions and the abuse of the anti-terror measures that continue to be used as the means for the repression of human rights and of any critical voice in the country, including journalists, activists and political opponents; is deeply concerned by the decision of the Minister of Interior to open a special investigation into the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality affecting over 550 of its employees for alleged terror links, andby the renewed judicial harassment against Mr. Öztürk Türkdoğan, a prominent human rights lawyer and Co-Chairperson of the Human Rights Association (İHD)who is being tried by the Ankara 19th Heavy Penal Court under the accusation of “membership to an illegal armed organisation” following his indictment by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, led by Chief Public Prosecutor Ahmet Akça;

Amendment 332 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Recognises that Turkey has legitimate security concerns and the right to fight terrorism; stresses, nevertheless, that this must be done with full respect for the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms; reiterates its firm and unambiguous condemnation of the violent terrorist attacks by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been on the EU list of terrorist organisations since 2002; regrets the overly broad anti- terrorism provisions and the abuse of the anti-terror measures that continue to be used as the means for the repression of human rights and of any critical voice in the country, including journalists, activists and political opponents; is deeply concerned by the decision of the Minister of Interior to open a special investigation into the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality affecting over 550 of its employees for alleged terror links, and by the renewed judicial harassment against Mr. Öztürk Türkdoğan, a prominent human rights lawyer and Co-Chairperson of the Human Rights Association (İHD) who is being tried by the Ankara 19th Heavy Penal Court under the accusation of “membership to an illegal armed organisation” following his indictment by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office;

Amendment 333 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. RStresses that anti-terrorism provisions in Turkey are too broad and are used in a discretionary manner to repress the opposition and civil society and by abusing the anti-terrorist legislation, the authorities diminish the serious nature of this ever-present threat; recognises that Turkey has legitimate security concerns and the right to fight terrorism~~; stresses, nevertheless, that this~~, something that must be done with full respect for the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms; reiterates its firm and unambiguous condemnation of the violent terrorist attacks by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been on the EU list of terrorist organisations since 2002;

Amendment 334 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

Amendment 335 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

Amendment 336 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

Amendment 337 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

Amendment 338 #

Malik AZMANI, Urmas PAET, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nathalie LOISEAU, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Recognises ~~that~~ Turkey ~~has legitimate~~'s perceived security concerns ~~and the right to fight terrorism; stresses, nevertheless,~~; stresses that it~~his~~ must ~~be done wi~~uphold the full respect for the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms; reiterates its firm and unambiguous condemnation of the violent terrorist attacks by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been on the EU list of terrorist organisations since 2002;

Amendment 339 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

Amendment 34 #

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 a (new)

— having regard to its resolution of 26 November 2020 on escalating tensions in Varosha following the illegal actions by Turkey and the urgent need for the resumption of talks,1a _________________ 1a Texts adopted, P9_TA(2020)0332.

Amendment 340 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19 a. Remains deeply concerned by the situation in the south-east of Turkey with regard to the protection of human rights, freedom of expression and political participation; is particularly concerned about numerous reports of law enforcement officials engaging in torture and ill-treatment of detainees while responding to perceived and alleged security threats in the south-east of Turkey; condemns the police custody measures served against prominent civil society actors and political opponents in south-east Turkey and calls on Turkey to ensure the protection and safety of human rights defenders and to promptly initiate independent investigations into these cases;

Amendment 341 #

Witold Jan WASZCZYKOWSKI, Bert-Jan RUISSEN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19a. Expresses concern regarding the extradition treaty signed between Turkey and the People's Republic of China in 2017; calls on the Turkish parliament not to ratify the extradition treaty, as this would pose great risks for the country's Uyghur community;

Amendment 342 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19 a. Expresses its concerns at the extradition treaty signed between Turkey and the People's Republic of China in 2017; encourages the Turkish parliament not to ratify the extradition treaty as this would pose great risks to the Uyghur community in the country;

Amendment 343 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)

19 b. Strongly condemns forced extraditions, kidnapping and abduction of Turkish citizens residing outside Turkey on the sole basis of their alleged links to the Gülen movement in violation of the principle of rule of law and basic human rights; urges the EU to address this worrying practice in its own Member States as well as in the candidate and associated countries, to support the countries in processing extradition requests coming from third countries in a transparent manner and in full compliance with the rule of law, respect for human rights and democratic standards and to withstand the pressure exerted by Turkey;

Amendment 344 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 c (new)

19 c. Expresses concern about reports of Turkey deporting Uighur Muslims to China via third countries, where hundreds of thousands of Uighurs are held in forced labour camps and face brutal persecution; calls on the Turkish government to hold the ratification of its extradition treaty with China

Amendment 345 #

20. Calls on Turkey to abide by a zero- tolerance policy on torture and to duly investigate persistent and credible reports of torture, ill-treatment and inhumane or degrading treatment in custody, in order to put an end to impunity and hold those responsible to account; welcomes the recent amendment in the regulation on prisons to replace “strip search” by “detailed search” and calls on the General Directorate of Prisons and Detention Houses, headed by Yunus Alkaç, to ensure its full implementation “in respect for human dignity and honour”, as stated in the amended regulation, as there are still credible allegations on the continuation of this practice, including on minors visiting prisons; is deeply worried by the situation in Turkey’s prisons, particularly with regard to ill prisoners; deplores the continuation of the incarceration of former MP Aysel Tuğluk, despite her dire health condition, which has been determined by medical reports that are subsequently dismissed by the state-run Forensic Medicine Institution (ATE), currently headed by Erdinç Öztürk; is concerned by the situation of HDP MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu who is being currently investigated by the Kandıra Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on charges of “insulting the state and its organs”, “influencing the expert” and “praising the crime and the criminal” for calling for the release of Aysel Tuğluk; is appalled by the deafening silence of the Ombudsman in the face of the grave situation of fundamental rights in the country described above; calls on Şeref Malkoç, Chief Ombudsman of Turkey, to ensure that his institution becomes a useful tool for Turkey’s citizens and active in strengthening the culture of seeking legal remedies as the institution has set out in its aims; regrets that nor the Ombudsman nor the Human Rights and Equality Institution of Turkey (HREI), as the two main human rights institutions in the country, are operationally, structurally or financially independent; urges Turkey’s authorities to take the appropriate measures in order for these institutions to comply, as relevant, with the Paris Principles and the Commission’s Recommendation on Standards for Equality Bodies; deplores that certain members of the HREI, which is chaired by Muharrem Kiliç, demonstrated a negative attitude towards basic human rights, including gender equality, women's rights, LGBTIQ rights, and expressed support forTurkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention; invites the Human RightsInquiry Committee, chaired by MP Hakan Çavuşoğlu, at Grand National Assembly ofTurkey, to fully exert its extensive powers to investigate and seek accountability concerning violations of human rights in the country and to propose legislative amendments to ensure the alignment of the national legislation with the international conventions on human rights to which Turkey is party;

Amendment 346 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Calls on Turkey to abide by a zero- tolerance policy on torture and to duly investigate persistent and credible reports of torture, ill-treatment and inhumane or degrading treatment in detention, interrogation and custody, in order to put an end to impunity and hold those responsible to account; calls on Turkey to terminate forced disappearances as well as all incommunicado detention and detention in unofficial detention locations; is deeply concerned by the hygienic and sanitary situation in Turkey’s overcrowded prisons exacerbating the deadly danger of the COVID 19 pandemic for prisoners; highlights that according to data of the IHD (Human Rights Association in Turkey) there are currently 1,605 sick prisoners, 604 of whom are seriously ill; is appalled by the continued detention of HDP politician and former deputy, Ms Aysel Tuğluk despite her deteriorating health situation; highlights that Kocaeli University Hospital diagnosed Aysel Tuğluk with dementia and that in their final report, issued on 12 July, the University's Department of Forensic Science stated that the dementia might progress, that there might be problems about medical support and care, and that it was not possible for Tuğluk to continue her life without help; calls for Aysel Tuğlukʼs immediate release; is appalled by the reported practice of arrests of pregnant and post-partum women and urges Turkey to release them and to end the practice of arresting them just before or immediately after giving birth;

Amendment 347 #

Andreas SCHIEDER, Nikolaj VILLUMSEN, François ALFONSI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

Amendment 348 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Reiterates that Turkey refuses to implement the recommendations from 2018 of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; Calls on Turkey to abide by a zero- tolerance policy on torture and to duly investigate persistent and credible reports of torture, ill-treatment and inhumane or degrading treatment in custody, in order to put an end to impunity and hold those responsible to account;

Amendment 349 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. CIs concerned about Turkey’s refusal to implement obligations underlined in reports of the Committee for Prevention of Torture; calls on Turkey to abide by a zero- tolerance policy on torture and to duly investigate persistent and credible reports of torture, ill-treatment and inhumane or degrading treatment in custody, in order to put an end to impunity and hold those responsible to account;

Amendment 35 #

Malik AZMANI, Urmas PAET, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nathalie LOISEAU, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 a (new)

— having regard to the report of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria of 15 September 2020,

Amendment 350 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

Amendment 351 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20 a. Is appalled by the deafening silence of the Ombudsman in the face of the grave situation of fundamental rights in the country described above; calls on the Chief Ombudsman of Turkey, to ensure that his institution becomes a useful tool for Turkey’s citizens and active in strengthening the culture of seeking legal remedies as the institution has set out in its aims; regrets that neither the Ombudsman nor the Human Rights and Equality Institution of Turkey (HREI), as the two main human rights institutions in the country, are operationally, structurally or financially independent; urges Turkey’s authorities to take the appropriate measures in order for these institutions to comply, as relevant, with the Paris Principles and the Commission’s Recommendation on Standards for Equality Bodies; deplores that certain members of the HREI demonstrated a negative attitude towards basic human rights, including gender equality, women's rights, LGBTIQ rights, and expressed support for Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention; invites the Human Rights Inquiry Committee at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey to fully exert its extensive powers to investigate and seek accountability concerning violations of human rights in the country and to propose legislative amendments to ensure the alignment of the national legislation with the international conventions on human rights to which Turkey is party;

Amendment 352 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20 a. Urges that Turkey protects all asylum-seekers and refugees from refoulement, ensuring that displaced populations are guaranteed the right to ongoing protection in line with international standards; is in this regard deeply concerned about violent pushbacks of Afghan asylum-seekers in the East of Turkey into Iran, and requests that Turkey, in line with the UNHCR guidance note on the International Protection Needs of People Fleeing Afghanistan provide Afghans with a legal basis to stay in Turkey; expresses concern that Turkey has resumed charter flights to repatriate Afghan nationals back to Afghanistan, whilst conditions for voluntary repatriation cannot yet be met;

Amendment 353 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20 a. Condemns that Afrin, a Kurdish town and region in northern Syria, has been subjected to severe human rights violations since the Turkish Army invaded it in January 2018 and that reports reveal that Afrin's women have been subjected to systematic torture, disappearance, kidnapping, rape and murder;

Amendment 354 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20a. Deplores the decision taken by Turkey to convert the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul into a mosque; points out that determining to do this distances the European Union and Turkey considerably further;

Amendment 355 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20 a. 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;

Amendment 356 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)

20 b. Deplores the perpetual blacklisting of former public sector workers who were summarily dismissed from their jobs by executive decree-laws, which continues more than three years after the lifting of the post-coup state of emergency; calls on the Turkish government to lift arbitrary travel bans and ensure everyone's equal access to the job market by removing undue alerts placed against former public sector workers on the national social security database; underlines the importance of the presumption of innocence as a basic human rights' guarantee in line with Turkey's international commitments;

Amendment 357 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)

20 b. Calls on the Turkish authorities to fully respect the historical and cultural character of cultural and religious monuments and symbols, especially those that have been classified as UNESCO world heritage sites;

Amendment 358 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)

20 b. Supports increased access to economic opportunities for refugees in Turkey, in order to ensure economic resilience of vulnerable refugee families to secure a sustainable living;

Amendment 359 #

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 c (new)

20 c. Is concerned about the increasing number of unregistered asylum-seekers in Turkey who are denied access to basic protection due to increasingly restrictive measures; is concerned about the lack of access to basic services such as employment, education, healthcare and protection; is deeply concerned about the alarming trend of violence against refugees in Turkey and urges Turkey to strongly condemn all acts of violence against asylum-seekers, refugees and migrants;

Amendment 36 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 a (new)

— having regard to its resolution of 15 April 2015 on the centenary of the Armenian Genocide ,1a _________________ 1a OJ C 328, 6.9.2016, p. 2.

Amendment 360 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 c (new)

20 c. Notes with great concern that child labour is still widespread in Turkey, that child abuse has increased in Koran schools and in juvenile prisons;

Amendment 361 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 d (new)

20 d. Recalls that trade union freedom and social dialogue are crucial to the development of a pluralist society and its prosperity; regrets in this context the legislative shortcomings which remain in place in labour and trade union rights and stresses that the right to organise, the right to collective bargaining and the right to strike constitute fundamental rights of workers; is further concerned about the persistence of strong anti-trade union discrimination by employers and the dismissals, harassment and imprisonment to which managers and members of some unions continue to be subjected; calls on the Turkish authorities to align themselves with the ILO core labour standards to which the country has committed itself;

Amendment 362 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 d (new)

20 d. Is concerned about the growing risk of statelessness for a generation of Syrian children born in Turkey when unable to obtain either Turkish or Syrian citizenship; and thus urges Turkey to abide by its legal safeguards against statelessness which includes the 1954 Convention on the Status of Statelessness Persons and Article (8) of Turkish Citizenship Law;

Amendment 363 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 e (new)

20 e. Stresses that workers are being sacked en masse for organising themselves in trade unions; stresses in this regard the very questionable reasons that are put forward for such dismissals;

Amendment 364 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 e (new)

20 e. Supports increased quality access to protection services for specific vulnerable groups, such as refugees with disabilities and LGBTQI+ refugees;

Amendment 365 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 f (new)

20 f. Urges Turkey to provide increased access to international and national non- governmental organisations to deportation centres to monitor and provide assistance to those in process of being returned;

Amendment 366 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 f (new)

20 f. Is concerned that after two years of pandemic there is substantial absence of state support towards people who live in poverty and are the main victims of COVID-19 in Turkey;

Amendment 367 #

Loucas FOURLAS, Emmanouil KEFALOGIANNIS, Vangelis MEIMARAKIS, Stelios KYMPOUROPOULOS, Lefteris CHRISTOFOROU, Elissavet VOZEMBERG-VRIONIDI, Theodoros ZAGORAKIS, Anna-Michelle ASIMAKOPOULOU, Maria SPYRAKI, Georgios KYRTSOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)

20 b. Expresses its strong appreciation for the clear support of the Turkish authorities for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and in condemning the unjustified Russian invasion and military aggression against Ukraine; stresses the vital importance of strong EU-Turkey cooperation in foreign and security policy in the current challenging times and welcomes in this view Turkey’s firm alignment with NATO and the EU; encourages Turkey to continue acting accordingly in light of its important role in regulating transit and navigation in the Straits of the Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara and the Bosporus in application of the Montreux Convention; welcomes the open disposition of Turkey’s government to act as a mediator among the parties in conflict; invites Turkey to reconsider, in light of the graveness of the situation, its principled position concerning the non-application of sanctions;

Amendment 368 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Commends the efforts made by Turkey to continue hosting the largest refugee population in the world; welcomes, in this regard, the continued provision of EU funding for refugees and host communities in Turkey, and expresses its commitment to sustain this support in the future; calls on Turkey to ensure the full and non-discriminatory implementation of the EU-Turkey Statement of 2016, including vis a vis the Republic of Cyprus, as well as to resume the readmission of returnees from the Greek islands interrupted in March 2020, and Turkey’s obligation to take any necessary measures to prevent new sea or land routes for illegal migration opening from Turkey to the EU, and its will to cooperate with neighbouring states as well as the EU to this effect and with fundamental rights as part of its implementation process; Believes that strengthening trade relations could bring concrete benefits to citizens in Turkey and the EU therefore takes note of the Commission’s proposal to work on a mandate on the potential upgrading of the Customs Union provided that it is implemented vis-à-vis all Member States would need to be based on strong conditionality related to human rights and fundamental freedoms and that it can only be envisaged following Turkey’s full implementation of the Additional Protocol to extend the Association Agreement towards all Member States without reserve and in a non-discriminatory fashion; stresses that both parties must be fully aware of this democratic conditionality from the very onset of any negotiations, as the Parliament will not give its consent to the final agreement without results on the aforementioned preconditions in this field; notes that visa liberalisation would constitute an important step towards facilitating people-to-people contacts and is of great importance for Turkish citizens, particularly for students, academics, business representatives and people with family ties in EU Member States; continues its support for the visa liberalisation process once the set conditions have been fully and effectively implemented and encourages the Turkish Government to fully comply with the 72 criteria identified in the visa liberalisation roadmap in a non-discriminatory manner towards all member-states; stresses that there has been very little real progress on the outstanding benchmarks still to be fulfilled by Turkey; notes that the new Action Plan on Human Rights foresees the acceleration of the fulfilment of the remaining benchmarks; stresses that the revision of Turkey’s anti-terrorism legislation and Data Protection Law are key conditions for ensuring fundamental rights and freedoms; regrets that as a result of Turkey’s instrumentalization of refugees a continuing increase in asylum applications was registered in Cyprus in 2021; notes that pending the full and effective implementation of the EU- Turkey Readmission Agreement vis-à-vis all Member States, existing bilateral readmission agreements and provisions in similar agreements and arrangements with EU Member States, should be adequately implemented; cooperation in the area of justice and home affairs with all EU Member States remains essential;

Amendment 369 #

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES, Giuliano PISAPIA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

Amendment 37 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 b (new)

— having regard to Article 46 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which states that the contracting parties undertake to abide by the final judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in any case to which they are parties, and therefore to the obligation of Turkey to implement all judgments of the European courts, including the ECtHR,

Amendment 370 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

Amendment 371 #

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

Amendment 372 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

Amendment 373 #

Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

Amendment 374 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

Amendment 375 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

Amendment 376 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

Amendment 377 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. ~~Commends the efforts made by~~Is concerned about the way in which Turkey to continues to take advantage of the fact that it is hosting the largest refugee population in the world; ~~welcomes, in this regard,~~by trying in particular to leverage refugees against the EU; reiterates that the continued provision of EU funding for refugees and host communities in Turkey~~, and expresses its commitment to~~ is incumbent upon the strict adherence of Turkey to relevant international law standards, and takes the view that the deficits of the current refugee deal with Turkey must be immediately addressed in an effort to continue sustain ~~this~~ing EU support in the future; but in an appropriate framework;

Amendment 378 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. ~~Commend~~Acknowledges the efforts made by Turkey ~~to continue hosting the largest refugee population in the world; welcomes,~~in hosting larger populations resulting from the migration crises in fulfilment of its major commitment to the EU, for which it is receiving substantial funding; recalls the crisis resulting from Ankara's regrettable decision in March 2020 to encourage migrants and refugees to enter EU territory through the Greek border; points outs in this regard, that the continued provision of EU funding ~~for refugees and host communities in Turkey, and expresses its commitment to sustain this support in the future~~depends on Turkey's clear willingness to meet its commitments in this area;

Amendment 379 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. ~~Commends the efforts made by Turkey to continue~~Notes Turkey's commitment to hosting the largest refugee population in the world; ~~welcomes, in this regard, the continued provision of EU funding for refugees and host communities in Turkey, and expresses its commitment~~Calls on Turkey, however, not to use the Refugee Facility (FRT) and the threat of unbearable migratory pressure to challenge and blackmail the EU and its Member States in order to secure greater leverage for political, economic or military concessions, to sjust~~ain this support in the future;~~ ify its aggressive behaviour towards EU Member States or to pursue its foreign policy ambitions;

Amendment 38 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 10 a (new)

— having regard to its resolution of 11 March 2021 on the Syrian conflict - 10 years after the uprising,

Amendment 380 #

Malik AZMANI, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nathalie LOISEAU, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

Amendment 381 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Commends the efforts made by Turkey to continue hosting the largest refugee population in the world of almost 4 million registered refugees; welcomes, in this regard, the continued provision of EU funding for refugees and host communities in Turkey, and expresses its commitment to sustain this support in the future; recognizes the migratory pressure Turkey is facing, however firmly objects to any instrumentalisation of migrants by the Turkish government;

Amendment 382 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Commends the efforts made by Turkey to continue hosting the largest refugee population in the world; ~~welcomes, in this regard, the continued provision of EU funding for refugees and host communities in Turkey, and expresses its commitment to sustain this support in the future;~~

Amendment 383 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. ~~Commend~~Notes the efforts made by Turkey to continue hosting the largest refugee population in the world; ~~welcomes, in this regard, the~~deplores human smuggling and human rights violations refugees have been subjected to in Turkey and emphasises that continued provision of EU funding for refugees and host communities in Turkey~~, and expresses its commitment to sustain this support in the future~~ must not be used as leverage against the EU;

Amendment 384 #

Andreas SCHIEDER, Nikolaj VILLUMSEN, François ALFONSI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Commends the efforts made by Turkey to continue hosting the largest refugee population in the world~~; welcomes, in this regard, the continued provision of EU funding for refugees and host communities in Turkey, and expresses its commitment to sustain this support in the future~~, however, strongly condemns Turkey's instrumentalisation of migration against the EU; stresses that Turkey must abide by its international commitments and that migrants are not to be used as pawns to blackmail the EU;

Amendment 385 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Commends the efforts made by Turkey to continue hosting the largest refugee population in ~~the world~~absolute numbers; welcomes, in this regard, the continued provision of EU funding for refugees and host communities in Turkey, and expresses its commitment to sustain this support in the future;

Amendment 386 #

21 a. Is concerned by several reports of the lack of effective access to an asylum procedure for non-Syrian nationals in Turkey and summary push-backs of Afghans and others attempting to cross the border, including the recent arbitrary deportation to Syria of at least 150 Syrians, raising concerns regarding the adherence to the principle of non- refoulement; urges the European Commission to ensure a close monitoring of the implementation of the EU-Turkey Statement, including in relation to the human rights situation of asylum seekers and migrants returned to Turkey as part of the EU-Turkey Statement; urges Turkey to fully respect international refugee and human rights law, as enshrined in the 1951 Refugee Convention, human rights treaties, and customary international law, and to prohibit returning anyone to a place where they would face a real risk of persecution or threats to their lives or freedom, torture, or other serious harm; urges the EU and its member states to insist that deportations to Syria and Afghanistan are a clear breach of international refugee law and to take measures to ensure that any return to either Syria or Afghanistan is genuinely based on a well-informed and voluntary decision of the person concerned;

Amendment 387 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21 a. Believes that strengthening trade relations could bring concrete benefits to citizens in Turkey and the EU, and therefore,supports the Commission’s proposal to start negotiations on the upgrading of the Customs Union; warns, however, that such modernization of the Customs Union would need to be based on strong conditionality related to human rights and fundamental freedoms and that it can only be envisaged upon Turkey’s fully implementation of the Additional Protocol to extend the Ankara Agreement towards all Member States without reserve and in a non-discriminatory fashion; stresses that both parties must be fully aware of this democratic conditionality from the very onset of any negotiations, as the Parliament will not give its consent to the final agreement without results in this field;

Amendment 388 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21 a. Deplores the fact that Turkey has intensified the instrumentalization of refugees against the Republic of Cyprus and Greece, leaning, inter alia, on the fact that pushbacks by Greek border guards have occurred on several occasions, and calls for an immediate end to this deplorable practice, which harasses refugees and, in the absence of EU solidarity measures, puts additional administrative and financial pressure on the two EU Member States;

Amendment 389 #

Witold Jan WASZCZYKOWSKI, Bert-Jan RUISSEN, Charlie WEIMERS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21 a. Believes that resettlement must remain an option for refugees in Turkey and that resettlement programmes can be most effective with a comprehensive registration process; urges Turkey and the EU to ensure that those refugees that would most benefit from resettlement, including the elderly and those with chronic illnesses, are prioritised for resettlement places;

Amendment 39 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 10 a (new)

— having regard to its resolution of 15 April 2015 on the centenary of the Armenian Genocide,

Amendment 390 #

Witold Jan WASZCZYKOWSKI, Bert-Jan RUISSEN, Charlie WEIMERS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21 a. Commends Turkey's decision to invoke the 1936 Montreux Convention, by blocking Russian warships from passage through the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, following the Russian invasion in Ukraine; welcomes the delivery of Bayraktar drones by Turkey to the Ukrainian army; encourages Turkey to close its airspace to Russian aircrafts;

Amendment 391 #

Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES, Evin INCIR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21 a. Strongly condemns the Turkish military intervention in Syria, which violates international law and undermines the stability and the security of the whole region; calls on Turkey to end its illegal occupation of Norther Syria and Afrin and reiterates that security concerns cannot justify military action in a foreign country;

Amendment 392 #

Jaak MADISON, Harald VILIMSKY, Bernhard ZIMNIOK, Thierry MARIANI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21 a. Denounces the threat by the Turkish regime of uncontrolled migration flows as a method of hybrid warfare against the EU; reiterates that the EU has made itself vulnerable to such threats through its Willkommenspolitik when it comes to migrants;

Amendment 393 #

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21 a. Stresses that visa liberalisation will be possible once all the criteria have been fully and effectively met in a non- discriminatory manner towards all member-states;

Amendment 394 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21a. Deplores Turkey’s blackmailing approach of using the migration crisis to demand an increase in financial resources from the European Union;

Amendment 395 #

Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21 a. Expresses its appreciation to Turkey for demanding all Black Sea and non-Black Sea states to halt passage through its straits;

Amendment 396 #

Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21a. Stresses that Turkey is a NATO ally and strategic partner with which we share major interests;

Amendment 397 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)

21 b. Calls on Turkey to commit to the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Libya under the auspices of the UN, to stop its efforts to derail the Berlin process, to withdraw all foreign fighters and to fully adhere to the arms embargo imposed by the UN Security Council; regrets that Turkey has denied the personnel of EUNAVFOR MED Irini to inspect ships travelling from Turkey to Libya and recalls that EU; recalls that all candidate countries should align their foreign policy with the EU’s foreign and security policy and not to actively work against it; Strongly condemns the signature of the two Memorandums of Understanding between Turkey and Libya on the delimitation of maritime zones and on comprehensive security and military cooperation, which are interconnected and in clear violation of the sovereign rights of EU Member States, the international law and the UN Security Council resolution imposing an arms embargo on Libya;

Amendment 398 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)

21 b. Notes that visa liberalisation would constitute an important step towards facilitating people-to-people contacts and is of great importance for Turkish citizens, particularly for students, academics, business representatives and people with family ties in EU Member States; continues its support for the visa liberalisation process once the set conditions have been met and encourages the Turkish Government to fully comply with the 72 criteria identified in the visa liberalisation roadmap in a non- discriminatory manner; stresses that there has been very little real progress on the six outstanding benchmarks still to be fulfilled by Turkey; notes that the new Action Plan on Human Rights foresees the acceleration of the fulfilment of the remaining benchmarks; stresses that the revision of Turkey’s anti-terrorism legislation and Data Protection Law are key conditions for ensuring fundamental rights and freedoms;

Amendment 399 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)

21 b. condemns Turkey’s military interventions in Syria and its illegal occupation of areas in northern Syria; denounces that Turkey and local Syrian factions abuse civilians’ rights and restrict their freedoms with impunity in the Turkish-occupied territories; condemns Turkey’s illegitimate transfer of Syrian refugees to northern Syria in order to modify the demographic character of the Kurdish area in Syria; denounces that Turkey continues to illegally transfer Syrian nationals to Turkey to face trial on terrorism charges that could lead to life imprisonment;

Amendment 4 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 2

— having regard to the Negotiating Framework for Turkey of 3 October 2005, and to the fact that, as is the case for all accession countries, Turkey’s accession to the EU depends on full compliance with the Copenhagen criteria, and to the need to normalize its relations with all EU Member States, including the Republic of Cyprus;

Amendment 40 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 11 a (new)

— having regard to law No. 7262 on the Prevention of the Financing of the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, weaponizing counter- terrorism measures to target civil society,

Amendment 400 #

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)

21 b. Calls on the EU not to remain complacent and rely on the 2016 EU- Turkey statement, which should be terminated, and to pursue a change in its immigration policy based on real solidarity, respect of the core principles of asylum and migration international law vis-à-vis everyone refraining from double standards, particularly now that the anti- immigration front in Europe is dangerously gaining ground;

Amendment 401 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)

21 b. Regrets that the current Customs Union will not achieve its full potential until Turkey fully and effectively implements the Additional Protocol in relation to all Member States including the Republic of Cyprus in a non- discriminatory manner, which is a prerequisite for the opening of the negotiations for the upgrading;

Amendment 402 #

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES, Nikos ANDROULAKIS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)

21 b. Notes that refugees should not be influenced or encouraged to return to potentially unsafe locations and countries due to hostile or deteriorating living conditions in Turkey; underlines that those who choose to return should be fully informed of the risks and consequences of doing so;

Amendment 403 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 c (new)

21 c. Reiterates its call on Turkey to comply with the EU declaration issued on September 21, 2005 and to fulfil its obligation of full, non-discriminatory implementation of the Additional Protocol to the EC-Turkey Association Agreement vis-à-vis all Member States, including the Republic of Cyprus, regrets that Turkey has still not made progress towards the normalization of its relations with the Republic of Cyprus; reiterates that recognition of all Member States is a necessary component of the accession process, of Customs Union and of every agreement between the EU and Turkey and calls for progress without any further delay;

Amendment 404 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 c (new)

21 c. Calls on Turkey to remain committed to the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Libya under the auspices of the UN, and to fully adhere to the arms embargo imposed by the UN Security Council; calls on Turkey to fully cooperate with the CSDP IRINI mission;

Amendment 405 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 c (new)

21 c. Expresses serious concern about the Turkish government’s use of its influence abroad to abduct its citizens in violation of international law, undermining domestic legal procedures for extradition;

Amendment 406 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Acknowledges that Turkey can pursue its own foreign policy in line with its interests and goals, but expects this policy to be defended through diplomacy and dialogue based on international law and, as a candidate country, to be increasingly aligned with that of the EU; reiterates its call onTurkey to progressively align with the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy and to reverse the increasingly negative trend as a matter of priority and recalls its position on accession of Member States to international organisations; notes with concern that Turkey’s foreign policy has been increasingly colliding with the EU priorities under the Common Foreign and Security Policy, including regarding Libya and Operation IRINI; in line with the shared interest of the EU and Turkey in regional peace and stability, expects Turkey and all actors to contribute positively to the resolution of regional crises; regrets, against this background, the lowest level (14%) of alignment of Turkey with CFSP and CSDP among candidates; commends the recent rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia with regard to the decision to start bilateral contacts, the appointment of Special Representatives and the resumption of flights between the two countries; considers this attempt a very positive development and encourages both sides to pursue these efforts with a view to fully normalize their relations; expresses hope that this may lead to a dynamic of normalization of relations in the South Caucasus;

Amendment 407 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Acknowledges that Turkey can pursue its own foreign policy in line with its interests and goals, but expects this policy to be defended through diplomacy and dialogue based on international law and, as a candidate country, to be increasingly aligned with that of the EU; notes that Turkey’s CFSP alignment remained at very low levels and its increasingly assertive foreign policy continued to collide with the EU priorities under the CFSP, notably due to its support for military actions in the Caucasus, Syria, Libya and Iraq; notes that the EU has repeatedly stressed the need for Turkey to respect the sovereign rights of EU member states, which include entering into bilateral agreements and exploring and exploiting their natural resources in accordance with the EU acquis and international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea; stresses that Turkey needs to commit itself unequivocally to good neighbourly relations, international agreements and to the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with the United Nations Charter, having recourse, if necessary, to the International Court of Justice;

Amendment 408 #

Thierry MARIANI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

Amendment 409 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

Amendment 41 #

Marc ANGEL, Malin BJÖRK, Fabio Massimo CASTALDO, Terry REINTKE, Pierre KARLESKIND, Maria WALSH, Frédérique RIES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Dietmar KÖSTER, Malik AZMANI

Motion for a resolution
Citation 11 a (new)

— having regard to the report of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on ‘Restrictions on NGO activities in Council of Europe Member States';1a _________________ 1a PACE report on Restrictions on NGO activities in Council of Europe Member States, accessible at https://assembly.coe.int/nw/xml/XRef/Xref -XML2HTML-en.asp?fileid=28906⟨=en

Amendment 410 #

Nathalie LOISEAU, Frédérique RIES, Christophe GRUDLER, Ramona STRUGARIU, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ, Hilde VAUTMANS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

Amendment 411 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. ~~Acknowledges that~~Recalls that, while Turkey can pursue its own foreign policy ~~in line with its interests and goals, but expects this polic~~; deplores that only 14% of Turkey’s foreign policy actions are aligned with EU foreign policy and that this gap continues to widen; deplores also the way that Turkey has never aligned with EU restrictive measures, including that of economic sanctions; expects Turkey to be defended its interests through diplomacy and dialogue based on international law ~~and, as a candidate country, to be increasingly aligned with that of the EU~~; notes in particular with concern that despite the military agression of Ukraine by the Federation of Russia with the support of Belarus, Turkey has refused to take sanctions against the Russian authorities responsible for this serious breach of international law;

Amendment 412 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

Amendment 413 #

Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

Amendment 414 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

Amendment 415 #

Malik AZMANI, Urmas PAET, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

Amendment 416 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Acknowledges that Turkey can pursue its own foreign policy in line with its interests and goals, but expects this policy to be defended through diplomacy and dialogue ~~based on international law and, as a candidate country, to be increasingly aligned with that of the EU~~; demands from Turkey to terminate all violations of international law as the EU demands from all other states and, as a candidate country, to contribute positively to regional peace and stability instead of illegally intervening in regional crises to pursue hegemonic goals;

Amendment 417 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. ANotes the importance for both the EU and its Member States and Turkey of maintaining close dialogue and cooperation on foreign policy and security issues; acknowledges that Turkey can pursue its own foreign policy in line with its interests and goals, but expects this policy to be defended through diplomacy and dialogue based on international law and, as a candidate country, to be increasingly aligned with that of the EU;

Amendment 418 #

Harald VILIMSKY, Bernhard ZIMNIOK, Thierry MARIANI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

Amendment 419 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

Amendment 42 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 a (new)

— having regard to the opinion of the Turkey Tribunal, issued on 24 September 2021, stating that acts of torture and forced disappearances conducted in Turkey could, if brought before an appropriate body and subject to the proof of the specific knowledge and intent of the accused, amount to crimes against humanity; having regard to the case against Turkey that former Belgian minister and professor of Law Johan Vande Lanotte on behalf of the Belgian law firm Van Steenbrugge Advocaten has brought to the International Criminal Court following the findings of the Turkey Tribunal;

Amendment 420 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

Amendment 421 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

Amendment 422 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

Amendment 423 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

Amendment 424 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 – subparagraph 1 (new)

Welcomes the clear support of the Turkish authorities for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine in the context of Russia’s attacks on the country; welcomes the statement of Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavuosoglu announcing the implementation of the 1936 Montreux Convention, allowing Turkey to limit the naval transit of through its Dardanelles and Bosphorus straits during wartime;

Amendment 425 #

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22 a. Recalls that Turkey is a longstanding member of the NATO alliance and sits at a key geostrategic location for maintaining regional and European security; notes that the EU and Turkey continue to cooperate on issues of (military) strategic importance within the NATO framework; recalls further that the EU and NATO remain the most reliable long-term partners for Turkey in international security cooperation and calls on Turkey to maintain political coherence in the fields of foreign and security policies in view of its role as member of NATO and EU candidate country and to recommit fully to NATO as its sole security anchor;

Amendment 426 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22 a. Regrets that as a result of Turkey’s instrumentalization of refugees a continuing increase in asylum applications was registered in Cyprus in 2021; notes that pending the full and effective implementation of the EU- Turkey Readmission Agreement vis-à-vis all Member States, existing bilateral readmission agreements and provisions in similar agreements and arrangements with EU Member States should be adequately implemented; underlines that cooperation in the area of justice and home affairs with all EU Member States remains essential;

Amendment 427 #

Malik AZMANI, Urmas PAET, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nathalie LOISEAU, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22 a. Commends the recent rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia with regard to the decision to start bilateral contacts, the appointment of Special Representatives and the resumption of flights between the two countries; considers this attempt a very positive development and encourages both sides to pursue these efforts with a view to fully normalize their relations; expresses hope that this may lead to a dynamic of normalization of relations in the South Caucasus;

Amendment 428 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22 a. Reaffirms its call expressed in its resolution of 15 April 2015 and once again encourages Turkey’s government to recognise the Armenian Genocide, thus paving the way for a genuine reconciliation between the Turkish and Armenian peoples; welcomes, in this regard, the recent intensified diplomatic exchanges and growing interaction between the Turkish and Armenian governments;

Amendment 429 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22 a. Welcomes Turkey’s ratification of the Paris Climate Agreement and its commitment to reach climate neutrality until 2053 and calls for close cooperation with Turkey in the framework of the European Green Deal for ambitious climate protection measures; underlines the potential of regional cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean in the area of renewable energies;

Amendment 43 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 a (new)

— having regard to the report of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on ‘Restrictions on NGO activities in Council of Europe Member States,

Amendment 430 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22 a. Welcomes Turkey’s strong and unequivocal condemnation of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and support for sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country; commends Turkey’s alignment with the NATO security framework in Europe and ongoing financial and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine;

Amendment 431 #

Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES, Evin INCIR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22a. Urges Turkey not to intervene in areas of the Mediterranean which are already under severe tension, such as Libya, in order to avoid a deterioration in difficult situations whose repercussions spill over into Europe;

Amendment 432 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22 a. Deplores the negative and destabilising role of Turkey, threatening regional peace and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean, Middle East and South Caucasus and its role in conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Libya;

Amendment 433 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22 a. Reiterates its support for the Customs Union and calls on Turkey to respect its obligations, including to eliminate non-tariff barriers to free movement;

Amendment 434 #

Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22 a. Calls on all EU Member States, in view of Turkey’s militarized foreign policy, to stop all arms exports to Turkey;

Amendment 435 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)

22 b. Recalls the need for Turkey to fully fulfil its obligations under the EU - Turkey Customs Union; deplores the continuous violations of the current framework and the calls to boycott on EU Member States; recalls in this sense that the current Customs Union has not yet achieved its full potential as long as Turkey does not implement the Additional Protocol to extend the Ankara Agreement towards all EU Member States without any reserve and in a non discriminatory fashion and does not resolve all existing trade irritants; believes that a modernisation of the current customs union could be beneficial for both parties and could be the basis for renewed EU - Turkey relation, underlines however that no negotiations should be started before Turkey fully implements the current framework towards all EU Member States, unconditionally and irrespectively; reiterates that any future framework should be based on strong conditionality related to human rights, fundamental freedoms, respect of the international law and good neighbourly relations; highlights in this respect that it seems unrealistic to envisage any modernisation of the Customs Union at this moment, given the current situation of human rights inside the country and its destabilising and revisionist foreign policy;

Amendment 436 #

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES, Nikos ANDROULAKIS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)

22 b. Deplores Turkey’s continuing refusal to comply with aviation law and establish a channel of communication between air traffic control centres in Turkey and the Republic of Cyprus the absence of which entails real safety risks and dangers for the European passengers as identified by the European Aviation Safety Agency and International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations and call on Turkey to collaborate by respecting the EU aviation law; takes the view that this could be an area where Turkey could prove its commitment to confidence-building measures and calls on Turkey to collaborate by fully implementing EU aviation law;

Amendment 437 #

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

22 b. Calls for the cooperation of Turkey with Operation IRINI in enforcing the arms embargo on Libya and in fighting human smuggling and trafficking;

Amendment 438 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Welcomes the decrease in tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean during the past year, but remains fully aware that these positive dynamics could be reversed at any moment while the underlying issues remain unresolved; condemns, in this regard, the continuous harassment and hindrance by Turkish warships of research vessels from performing surveys on the potential route of the East Med Pipeline, which is an energy project of EU Common Interest (PCI), within the EEZ/ continental shelf of Member States; calls on Turkey to respect the sovereignty of all EU Member States over their territorial sea and airspace as well as their sovereign rights, including inter alia the right to explore and exploit natural resources, in accordance with EU and international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which is part of the EU acquis; continues to urge Turkey to unequivocally commit to good neighborly relations, international agreements and to the peaceful settlement of disputes, having recourse, if necessary to the International Court of Justice and to refrain from any unilateral action or threats; supports, in this respect, the invitation by the Government of the Republic of Cyprus to Turkey to negotiate in good faith the maritime delimitation between their relevant coasts, or have recourse, to the International Court of Justice, and calls on Turkey to accept Cyprus’ invitation; reiterates its call on the Turkish Government to halt its plans for the Akkuyu nuclear power plant, which will be located in a region prone to severe earthquakes, therefore posing a major threat not only to Turkey, but also to the Mediterranean region; requests, accordingly, that the Turkish Government join the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo Convention), which commits its parties to notifying and consulting each other about major projects under consideration that are likely to have a significant adverse environmental impact across borders; asks the Turkish Government, to this end, to involve or at least consult the governments of its neighbouring countries in relation to any further developments in the Akkuyu venture;

Amendment 439 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. ~~Welcomes the~~Deplores that despite efforts to decrease inthe tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean during the past year, ~~but~~these were not sustained due to Turkey's actions and remains fully aware that ~~these~~ positive dynamics could be reversed at any moment while the underlying issues remain unresolved; condemns, in this regard, the continuous harassment and hindrance by Turkish warships of research vessels from performing surveys on the potential route of the East Med Pipeline, which is an energy project of EU Common Interest (PCI), within the EEZ/continental shelf of Member States; calls on Turkey to respect the sovereignty of all EU Member States over their territorial sea and airspace as well as their sovereign rights, including inter alia the right to explore and exploit natural resources, in accordance with EU and international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which is part of the EU acquis; supports the invitation by the Government of the Republic of Cyprus to Turkey to negotiate in good faith and in line with international law the maritime delimitation between their relevant coasts, or have recourse, to the International Court of Justice, and calls on Turkey to accept Cyprus’ invitation;

Amendment 44 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital -A (new)

-A. whereas Turkey has been linked to the EU by an association agreement since 1964 and whereas a customs union was established in 1995; whereas the European Council granted the status of candidate country to Turkey in December 1999 and whereas accession negotiations were opened in 2005; whereas as a candidate country and as an important partner of the EU, Turkey is expected to respect and uphold the Copenhagen criteria and to uphold the highest standards of democracy, respect of human rights and the rule of law, including compliance with the international conventions acceded to by the EU; whereas being a candidate country entails the need to pursue and maintain good neighbourly relations with the EU and its Member States indiscriminately;

Amendment 440 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Welcomes the decrease in tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean during the past year, but remains fully aware that these positive dynamics could be reversed at any moment while the underlying issues remain unresolved; deplores in this view the recent statements by Turkish authorities disputing Greece’s sovereignty over some of its islands as counterproductive and in contradiction to de-escalation efforts; continues to urge Turkey and all stakeholders involved to engage in a bona fide peaceful settlement of disputes and to refrain from any unilateral action or threats; continues, in particular, to call on all sides for a genuine collective engagement to negotiate the delimitation of EEZs and the continental shelf in good faith and in line with international rules and principles; reiterates its support to the proposal of the European Council for a multilateral conference on the Eastern Mediterranean and underscores that the Green Deal and the energy transition could provide for important opportunities for reaching cooperative and inclusive energy solutions in the Eastern Mediterranean;

Amendment 441 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Welcomes the decrease in tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean during the past year, but remains fully aware that these positive dynamics could be reversed at any moment while the underlying issues remain unresolved; commends the continuation of exploratory talks between Turkey and Greece in an effort to find sustainable and inclusive solutions for open discussions; regrets the recent allegations by Turkey regarding the Greek sovereignty of islands in the Aegean Sea; expresses its unwavering support and full solidarity with Greece; calls on Turkey to refrain from any provocative and counterproductive rhetoric and to settle the differences through diplomatic channels;

Amendment 442 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

Amendment 443 #

Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Welcomes the decrease in tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean during the past year, but remains fully aware that these positive dynamics could be reversed at any moment while the underlying issues remain unresolved; urges Turkey and all stakeholders involved to engage in bona fine in the peaceful settlement of disputes and to refrain from any unilateral and illegal action or threat; calls on collective efforts to delimitate the exclusive economic zones as well as the continental shelf in accordance with international law;

Amendment 444 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. ~~Welcome~~Deplores that despite initial indications towards the decrease in tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea during the past year, ~~but remains fully aware that these positive dynamics could be reversed at any moment while the underlying issues remain unresolved~~it was not materialised because of the continuous Turkish provocations; strongly condemns the revisionist rhetoric and actions against the Greek sovereignty over specific islands in the Aegean Sea as it is stated in recent statements of Turkish officials and Ministers and in two letters of the Turkish Permanent Representative to the UN in July and September 2021;

Amendment 445 #

Nathalie LOISEAU, Frédérique RIES, Christophe GRUDLER, Urmas PAET, Ramona STRUGARIU, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ, Hilde VAUTMANS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Welcomes the relative decrease in tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean during the past year, but remains ~~fully aware~~concerned that the~~se positive dynamics could be reversed at any moment while the underlying issues remain unresolved~~ underlying issues remain unresolved; expresses solidarity with EU member states which have suffered from these tensions and urges Turkey to refrain from any provocative statement or action towards EU Member States;

Amendment 446 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

Amendment 447 #

Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Welcomes the decrease in tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean during the past year, but remains fully aware that the~~se positive dynamics could be reversed at any moment while the underlying issues remain unresolved~~ dynamics of Turkey's recurrent violations of the sovereignty of Greece and Cyprus must cease completely and unequivocally reaffirms solidarity with Greece and Cyprus;

Amendment 448 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. ~~Welcom~~Notes theat de~~crease in tens~~spite the initial indications towards a de-escalations in the Eastern Mediterranean during the past year~~, but remains fully aware that these positive dynamics could be reversed at any moment while the underlying issues remain unresolved~~ tensions continued to remain high with Member States, in particular Greece and Cyprus;

Amendment 449 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23 a. strongly condemns continuous Turkey's illegal activities in Greek and Cypriot waters as well as its violations of the Greek national airspace, including overflights of inhabited areas and its territorial sea which violate both the sovereign rights of Greece and the international law; reiterates its regrets that the casus belli declared by the Turkish Grand National Assembly against Greece in 1995 remains valid and is repeated in relation to the possible extension of the Greek territorial waters in the Aegean Sea; express its full solidarity with Greece and the Republic of Cyprus; reiterates its call on Turkey to sign and ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which is part of the EU aquis; urges Turkey to engage in peaceful negotiation for the delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zones and the continental shelf in both the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean, in good faith, fully respecting international law and the principle of good neighbourly relations, having recourse if necessary to the International Court of Justice;

Amendment 45 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas Turkey, besides being a candidate for EU accession, is a key partner ~~in relation to the economy, trade and migration, as well as a strategic partner~~, whereas economic integration with the EU remained high and Turkey positioned as the EU’s sixth largest trading partner in 2020, while the EU remains by far Turkey’s largest trading partner and its largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI); whereas Turkey is currently undergoing an economic and financial crisis which exacerbates the economic impact of the pandemic; whereas Turkey hosts the largest refugee population in the world, with almost 4 million registered refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, and whereas the EU-funding to these communities has proven its value for assisting Turkey in swiftly responding to the humanitarian and development needs of refugees and their host communities;

Amendment 450 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23 a. Notes that recent events underscore the need for cooperative, sustainable and inclusive energy solutions in the Eastern Mediterranean; calls to turn the Eastern Mediterranean into a true catalyst in the external dimension of the Green Deal; encourages to boost the existing electricity sharing agreement between the two communities on the island of Cyprus and to establish a larger and more stable network, thereby enabling both communities to integrate renewable energy sources, in particular solar power, so that gas can gradually be phased out and the EU’s Green Deal goals can be met; encourages the use of the planned EuroAsia Interconnector to the benefit of both communities; believes that this arrangement could not only significantly green the energy mix throughout the island of Cyprus and reduce dependencies on polluting fuel based electricity generation, but also function as a powerful confidence building measure, with the potential to give new positive impetus to a solution in Cyprus, and also to EU-Turkey relations;

Amendment 451 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23 a. Calls on Turkey to withdraw its troops from Northern Syria which it is illegally occupying outside of any UN mandate; condemns Turkey's illegal transfers of Kurdish Syrians from occupied Northern Syria to Turkey for detention and prosecution in violation of Turkey's international obligations under the Geneva Conventions; urges that all Syrian detainees who have been transferred to Turkey be immediately repatriated to the occupied territories in Syria; is worried that Turkey's ongoing displacements could amount to ethnic cleansing against the Syrian Kurdish population;

Amendment 452 #

Malik AZMANI, Urmas PAET, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nathalie LOISEAU, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Frédérique RIES, Dragoş TUDORACHE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23 a. Calls on Turkey to refrain from all kinds of related provocations and threats against the sovereignty and sovereign rights of all EU member-states as protected under the international Law of the Sea, UNCLOS and the EU acquis, including the lawful right of the Republic of Cyprus to enter into bilateral agreements concerning its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and explore and exploit natural resources within its lawfully delimitated EEZ;

Amendment 453 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23 a. Calls on Turkey to remain committed to the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Libya under the auspices of the UN, to fully adhere to the arms embargo imposed by the UN Security Council and to not obstruct EU and NATO missions mandated to enforce the UN arms embargo on Libya;

Amendment 454 #

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23 a. Continues to urge Turkey to unequivocally commit to good neighbourly relations, international agreements and to the peaceful settlement of disputes, having recourse, if necessary to the International Court of Justice and to refrain from any unilateral action or threats;

Amendment 455 #

Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23 a. Urges Turkey to stop the bombings in Syrian and Iraqi territories immediately, to withdraw from the occupied territories in Rojava, and to seek a peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflicts;

Amendment 456 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)

23 b. expresses its concern on the illegal Turkish fishing activities within Greek territorial waters in the Aegean Sea and the unregulated and unreported fishing activities of Turkish fishing fleets in international waters in the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean;

Amendment 457 #

Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)

23 b. Reiterates its call on the Turkish government to sign and ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which is part of the European Union acquis;

Amendment 458 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 c (new)

23 c. Reiterates that the European Council of 1 and 2 October 2020 recalled to Turkey that the EU will use all the instruments and the options at its disposal, including of imposing a sanctions’ regime on Turkey , in accordance with Article 29 TEU and Article 215 TFEU, in order to defend its interests and those of its Member State; recalls the Council Conclusions of 14 October 2019 calling the Member States to take strong national positions regarding their arms export policy to Turkey on the basis of the provisions of Common position 2008/944/CFSP, including the strict application of criterion 4 on regional stability and calls to consider the introduction of an initiative in the Council for all EU Member States to halt arms export licensing to Turkey in accordance with this Common Position; reiterates its call in that respect, on the VP/HR for as long as Turkey continues with its current illegal, unilateral actions in the Eastern Mediterranean that run counter to the sovereignty of any EU Member State and international law, makes revisionist claims against the sovereign rights of EU Member States and threatens their territorial integrity, to introduce an initiative in the Council for all EU Member States to halt arms export for all types of military equipment, including weapons, weapons for dual-use goods and know-how, to Turkey in accordance with the Common Position;

Amendment 459 #

Jaak MADISON, Harald VILIMSKY, Bernhard ZIMNIOK, Thierry MARIANI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 c (new)

23 c. Reiterates its call on the Turkish Government to halt its plans for the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant, located in a region prone to severe earthquakes, hence posing a major threat not only to Turkey, but also to the Mediterranean region; requests, accordingly, that the Turkish Government join the Espoo Convention, which commits its parties to notifying and consulting each other on major projects under consideration that are likely to have a significant adverse environmental impact across boundaries; asks, to this end, the Turkish Government to involve, or at least consult, the governments of its neighbouring countries in relation to any further developments in the Akkuyu venture;

Amendment 46 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas ~~Turkey, besides being a candidate for EU accession, is a key partner in relation to the economy, trade and~~the repeated and unacceptable provocations by the Erdogan regime should not be rewarded by continuing endless and pointless accession negotiations; whereas, therefore, Turkey should no longer be considered a candidate for EU accession, since it is not a European country, does not share our values, and uses mass migration, as ~~well as a strategic partner~~a weapon of hybrid warfare against Member States;

Amendment 460 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. ~~Deplo~~Regrets the fact that the ~~unresolved conflict in Cyprus is a major obstacle to EU-~~Cyprus problem remains unresolved and stresses that a solution in line with the relevant UNSC resolutions will have a positive impact on Turkey’s relations with the EU; reaffirms its view that the only sustainable solution to the Cyprus issue is that of a fair, comprehensive and viable settlement on the basis of a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with a single international legal personality and political equality, as set out in relevant UN Security Council Resolutions and in accordance with international law and on the basis of respect for the principles on which the Union is founded and the acquis;; deeply regrets that Turkey has abandoned th~~is UN framework~~e agreed UN framework and its insistence to a two state solution in Cyprus and that it continues to violate UN Security Council resolutions, with unilateral, illegal and provocative actions including by the opening of the fenced off area of Varosha; notes that EU funding to Turkey will be subject to rules on conditionality, including for respecting the principles of the United Nations Charter, international law and European values and principles; praises the important work of the bi- communal Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) and calls on the Turkish authorities to advance their efforts to provide the CMP proprio motu and without delay with all information at their disposal relating to burial sites and any other places where remains might be found, including information in military archives;

Amendment 461 #

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Deplores the fact that the unresolved conflict in Cyprus is a major obstacle to EU-Turkey relations; reaffirms its view that the only sustainable solution to the Cyprus issue is that of a fair, comprehensive and viable settlement on the basis of a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with a single international legal personality and political equality, in accordance with international law and on the basis of respect for the principles on which the Union is founded; deeply regrets that Turkey has abandoned this UN framework; to defend on its own a two state solution in Cyprus and that it continues to violate UN Security Council resolutions by supporting the opening of Varosha to the public; calls on Turkey and other stakeholders to give the Turkish Cypriot community the necessary space in this regard to act inconformity to their role as a legitimate community of the island, a right guaranteed by the constitution of the Republic of Cyprus; calls on the Commission to step up its efforts to engage with the Turkish Cypriot community reminding that its place is in the European Union; calls for a more courageous approach by all parties involved in terms of bringing the communities together;

Amendment 462 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. ~~Deplo~~Regrets the fact that the ~~unresolved conflict in Cypru~~Cyprus problem remains unresolved and reiterates its ~~a major obstacle to EU-Turkey relations; reaffirms its view that the only sustainable solution to the Cyprus issue is that of~~call on Turkey, to commit and contribute to a comprehensive settlement in line with United Nations Security Council relevant resolutions; reiterates its support for a fair, comprehensive and viable settlement onf the ~~basis of a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with a single international legal personality and political equality, in accordance with~~Cyprus problem within the UN framework and in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions, international law and oin ~~the basis of respect for~~line with the EU acquis and the principles on which the Union is founded; deeply regrets that Turkey has abandoned thise agreed UN framework; condemns in this regard statements by Turkish President and Turkish Cypriot leader, imposed by Turkey upon the Turkish Cypriots, calling for a two-state solution in Cyprus;

Amendment 463 #

Javier NART

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Deplores the fact that the unresolved conflict in Cyprus is a major obstacle to EU-Turkey relations; reaffirms its view that the only sustainable solution to the Cyprus issue is that of a fair, comprehensive and viable settlement on the basis of a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with a single international legal personality and political equality, in accordance with international law and on the basis of respect for the principles on which the Union is founded; deeply regrets that Turkey has abandoned this UN framework; moreover, deplores that the Greek Cypriot community rejected the United Nations Proposal (also called Annan Plan) that meant the end to the conflict on the 24th April 2004 while it was positively agreed by the Turkish Cypriot community; therefore, the conflict keeps on; also deplores that the Turkish Cypriot community, being European citizens, have no representation in the European institutions;

Amendment 464 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Deplores the fact that the ~~unresolved conflict in Cyprus is a major obstacle to~~Cyprus problem remains unresolved and reiterates that its solution within the agreed framework, in line with the relevant UNSC resolutions and international law, is necessary for complete EU-Turkey relations; reaffirms its view that the only sustainable solution to the Cyprus issue is that of a fair, comprehensive and viable settlement on the basis of a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with political equality, as this is defined in the relevant UNSC resolutions, providing for one state with a single sovereignty, a single international legal personality and ~~political equality~~a single citizenship, in accordance with international law, the EU acquis and on the basis of respect for the principles on which the Union is founded; deeply regrets that Turkey has abandoned thise agreed basis of the solution and the UN framework;

Amendment 465 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. ~~Deplores the fact that the unresolved conflict in Cyprus is a major obstacle to EU-Turkey relations~~Condemns Turkey’s illegal activities in Cyprus, particularly its partial ‘opening’ of Varosha and acknowledges that it is one of the major obstacles to EU- Turkey relations; calls on Turkey to immediately end its military violations of Cyprus’ and Greece’s airspace and territorial waters; and in this regard, encourages Turkey to sign and ratify UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); reaffirms its view that the only sustainable solution to the Cyprus issue is that of a fair, comprehensive and viable settlement on the basis of a bi- communal, bi-zonal federation with a single international legal personality and political equality, in accordance with international law and on the basis of respect for the principles on which the Union is founded; deeply regrets that Turkey has abandoned this UN framework;

Amendment 466 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

Amendment 467 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Deplores the fact that the unresolved conflict in Cyprus is a major obstacle to EU-Turkey relations; strongly condemns the further reopening of the town of Varosha in violation of United Nations Security Council resolution 550 and resolution 789; calls for the reversal of this unilateral action a resumption of the dialogue with Cyprus; reaffirms its view that the only sustainable solution to the Cyprus issue is that of a fair, comprehensive and viable settlement on the basis of a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with a single international legal personality and political equality, in accordance with international law and on the basis of respect for the principles on which the Union is founded; deeply regrets that Turkey has abandoned this UN framework;

Amendment 468 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Deplores the fact that the ~~unresolved~~ conflict in Cyprus isremains unresolved, constituting a major obstacle to EU-Turkey relations; reaffirms its view that the only sustainable solution to the Cyprus issue is that of a fair, comprehensive and viable settlement, including its external aspects, within the UN framework, on the basis of a bi- communal, bi-zonal federation with a single international legal personality and political equality, in accordance with international law ~~and on the basis of respect for~~, with all relevant UNSC resolutions and in line with the principles on which the EU~~nion~~ is founded and the acquis; deeply regrets that Turkey has abandoned this UN framework; the EU will continue to play an active role in supporting the process;

Amendment 469 #

Malik AZMANI, Urmas PAET, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Deplores the fact that the unresolved conflict in Cyprus is a major obstacle to EU-Turkey relations; reaffirms its view that the only sustainable solution to the Cyprus issue is that of a fair, comprehensive and viable settlement on the basis of a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with a single international legal personality and political equality, in accordance with international law and on the basis of respect for the principles on which the Union is founded; deeply regrets that Turkey has abandoned this UN frameworkTurkey's unwillingness to end hostilities directed at Cyprus, this being a major obstacle to EU-Turkey relations; recalls that the European Council has reconfirmed the European Union position regarding illegal drilling by Turkey in the Exclusive Economic Zone around Cyprus and has unequivocally reaffirmed its solidarity with Cyprus;

Amendment 47 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas Turkey, besides being a candidate ~~for~~to EU accession, is a key partner in relation to the economy, trade ~~and migration, as well as a strategic partner~~, security and counter-terrorism, green transition and migration, as well as a strategic partner; Whereas Turkey is the EU’s sixth trading partner while the EU is Turkey’s largest trading partner; Whereas Turkey is a key member in NATO and plays an instrumental geostrategic role in the security architecture of the Black Sea and, in particular, in the security of Ukraine, which is facing Russian aggression;

Amendment 470 #

Malik AZMANI, Urmas PAET, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nathalie LOISEAU, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

Amendment 471 #

Nathalie LOISEAU, Frédérique RIES, Christophe GRUDLER, Urmas PAET, Ramona STRUGARIU, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ, Malik AZMANI, Hilde VAUTMANS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. ~~Deplores the fact~~Recalls that the unresolved conflict in Cyprus is a major obstacle to EU-Turkey relations; strongly reaffirms ~~its view~~ that the only sustainable solution to the Cyprus issue is that of a fair, comprehensive and viable settlement on the basis of a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with a single international legal personality and political equality, in accordance with international law and on the basis of respect for the principles on which the Union is founded; deepl~~y reg~~orets that Turkey has abandoned this UN framework;

Amendment 472 #

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24 a. Reiterates its call on the Turkish Government to halt its plans for the Akkuyu nuclear power plant, which will be located in a region prone to severe earthquakes, therefore posing a major threat not only to Turkey, but also to the Mediterranean region; recalls that Russia and Turkey signed a Cooperation Agreement providing for the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant and therefore asks for the inclusion of the construction of Akkuyu nuclear plant in the EU sanctions list against Russia following the later's military invasion of Ukraine; requests, accordingly, that the Turkish Government join the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo Convention), which commits its parties to notifying and consulting each other about major projects under consideration that are likely to have a significant adverse environmental impact across borders; asks the Turkish Government, to this end, to involve or at least consult the governments of its neighbouring countries in relation to any further developments in the Akkuyu venture;

Amendment 473 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24 a. Welcomes the Turkish government’s decision to ratify the Paris Climate Agreement, its pledge to become carbon neutral by 2053 as well as its announcement to adapt to the European Green Deal; considers the implementation of the European Green Deal an important opportunity for the EU and Turkey to align their trade and climate policy and calls on the EU to closely coordinate and support Turkey in this context; notes the conducive role the EU agencies and the EUʼs industrial alliances can play in the cooperation between the EU and Turkey on the green transformation; notes that Turkey is among the 10 countries with the highest increase in CO2 emissions between 1990 and 2019 and calls on the Turkish government to follow-up on its announcement to update its nationally determined contribution in an ambitious way and develop a national strategy and action plan to meaningfully reduce emissions;

Amendment 474 #

Andreas SCHIEDER, Nikolaj VILLUMSEN, François ALFONSI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24 a. Calls on Turkey to withdraw its troops from Northern Syria which it is illegally occupying outside of any UN mandate; condemns Turkey’s illegal transfers of Kurdish Syrians from occupied Northern Syria to Turkey for detention and prosecution in violation of Turkey’s international obligations under the Geneva Conventions; urges that all Syrian detainees who have been transferred to Turkey be immediately repatriated to the occupied territories in Syria; is worried that Turkey’s ongoing displacements could amount to ethnic cleansing against the Syrian Kurdish population; stresses that Turkey’s illegal invasion and occupation has jeopardised peace in the region; firmly condemns Turkey’s use of Syrian mercenaries in conflicts in Libya and Nagorno- Karabakh, in violation of international law;

Amendment 475 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24 a. Condemns Turkey's continued occupation of Syrian territory, in particular the Kurdish-majority regions of Afrin and Ras al-Ain/Sere Kaniye; regrets that the occupation was accompanied by the fight of a large part of the population there and whose return to this day is made impossible due to Turkish occupation and the Turkey allied local Islamist militias; Is deeply concerned about the catastrophic situation of the religious minorities, the Yazidis, Christians and Alevis, since the Turkish occupation of Afrin in 2018 and Ras al-Ain in 2019 due to the Islamist militias; calls on Turkey to evacuate at least these regions and allow the displaced civilian population to return;

Amendment 476 #

Jaak MADISON, Harald VILIMSKY, Bernhard ZIMNIOK, Thierry MARIANI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24 a. Denounces foreign interference in Europe by the Turkish regime through its diaspora living in Europe; expresses particular concern that the Turkish regime funds various governmental and non-governmental organisations, and in particularly the Muslim Brotherhood, in Europe to further its political agenda and thereby influence European politics; is gravely concerned about reports by national intelligence that Turkish intelligence agencies have dramatically increased their activities in a number of Member States;

Amendment 477 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24 a. Strongly condemns Turkey’s unilateral actions in relation to Varosha that run contrary to the UN Security Council Resolutions and recalls the importance of the status of Varosha and the need for full respect of UN Security Council Resolutions, in particular Resolutions 550, 789 and 1251, as underlined by the 24 June 2021 European Council. The Council calls for the immediate reversal of these actions and the reversal of all steps taken on Varosha since October 2020;

Amendment 478 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24 a. Regrets the recent reshuffle by Commissioner Várhelyi of the structure of DG NEAR that has integrated the unit in charge of Turkey together with the units dealing with the “Neighbourhood South”; considers this move, made allegedly for efficiency and coherence of internal organization, a serious political mistake that has been highly criticized not only by Turkey’s government but among all pro- European Turkish actors;

Amendment 479 #

Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES, Giuliano PISAPIA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24 a. Strongly urges the Government of Turkey to abandon its unacceptable position for a two states solution and commit concretely to the UN Secretary General’s call for resumption of meaningful and substantial negotiations; urges to relaunch negotiations on the reunification of Cyprus under the auspices of the UN-Secretary General as soon as possible and from where they left off at Crans Montana in 2017;

Amendment 48 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas Turkey, ~~besides being~~ as candidate for EU accession, is ~~a key partner in relation to the economy, trade and migration, as well as a strategic partner~~expected to respect and uphold the Copenhagen criteria, to uphold the highest standards of democracy, respect of human rights and the rule of law, to comply with the international law and international conventions acceded to by the EU, to pursue and maintain good neighbourly relations with the EU and all its Member States indiscriminately and to peacefully settle all disputes having resource, if necessary, to the International Court of Justice;

Amendment 480 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24 a. Takes note of the Turkish reactionto Russian invasion of Ukraine through the application of the Montreux Convention which allowed the denial of Russian military vessels to cross the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits; regrets the fact that Turkey did not implement the EU sanctions on the Russian Federation and its leadership yet, and encourages Turkey authorities to do so as soon as possible;

Amendment 481 #

Malik AZMANI, Urmas PAET, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nathalie LOISEAU, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Frédérique RIES, Dragoş TUDORACHE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24 a. Takes positive note of Turkey’s condemnation of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine and its decision to close the Bosporus and Dardanelles Straits to Russian warships as well as its efforts to mediate between the conflict parties; calls for close monitoring of the Turkish behaviour in relation to the defence of European values;

Amendment 482 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24 a. Recognizes the importance of a well-functioning NATO; deplores in this regard Turkey’s unilateral actions undermining NATO by purchasing Russian S-400 missiles; calls on the Turkish government to overcome these tensions by halting actions that go against the collective interests of the alliance;

Amendment 483 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24 a. Welcomes the Turkish contribution to the security of gas supply through the connection of the Trans- Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) with the completed Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), that started transmitting gas to the European section of the Southern Gas 103 Corridor (SGC) on 1 January 2021;

Amendment 484 #

Nathalie LOISEAU, Frédérique RIES, Christophe GRUDLER, Ramona STRUGARIU, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ, Hilde VAUTMANS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24 a. Strongly condemns that Turkey continues to allow the EU-listed terror organisation Hamas to operate in the country for many years and that Hamas operatives have received red carpet treatment from Ankara;

Amendment 485 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24 a. Is worried by cases of rapprochement of Turkey, a NATO member, with Russia; going as far as watering down NATO responses, for instance, following the forced diversion of an EU plane over Belarus;

Amendment 486 #

Susanna CECCARDI, Anna BONFRISCO, Marco ZANNI, Thierry MARIANI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24a. Deplores Turkey’s military intervention in the Artsakh war of 2020 and calls on the government in Ankara to respect the entreaties and requests of the Armenian majority in the area;

Amendment 487 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24 a. Reiterates its call expressed in its resolution of 15 April 2015 and strongly urges the Turkish government to recognize the Armenian genocide;

Amendment 488 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)

24 b. Strongly condemns Turkey’s illegal activities in Greek and Cypriot waters, as well as its violations of the Greek national airspace, including overflights of inhabited areas, and its territorial sea, which violate both the sovereignty and the sovereign rights of an EU Member State and international law; expresses its full solidarity with Greece and the Republic of Cyprus; reaffirms the right of the Republic of Cyprus to enter into bilateral agreements on its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and explore and exploit its natural resources in full compliance with relevant international law; expresses its grave concern about the illegal Turkish fishing activities within Greek territorial waters in the Aegean Sea and the unregulated and unreported fishing activities of Turkish fishing fleets in international waters in the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean; calls on all sides for a genuine collective engagement to negotiate the delimitation of EEZs and the continental shelf in good faith, fully respecting international law and the principle of good relations between neighbours; notes with regret that the casus belli declared by the TGNA against Greece in 1995 has not been withdrawn yet; welcomes the continuation of exploratory talks between Greece and Turkey, which seek to address, the delimitation of the continental shelf and the EEZ in line with international law; reiterates its call on the Turkish Government to sign and ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which is part of the European Union acquis; notes that the Council’s conclusions of 15 July 2019, in the light of Turkey’s continued and new illegal drilling activities, not to hold the Association Council and further meetings of the EU-Turkey high-level dialogues for the time being remain valid, urges Turkey to unequivocally commit to good neighbourly relations, international agreements and to the peaceful settlement of disputes, having recourse, if necessary, to the International Court of Justice; Turkey must stop all threats and actions that damage good neighbourly relations, normalise its relations with the Republic of Cyprus and respect the sovereignty of all EU Member States over their territorial sea and airspace as well as all their sovereign rights, including inter alia the right to explore and exploit natural resources, in accordance with EU and international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS);

Amendment 489 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)

24 b. Calls on Turkey to maintain progress in the alignment with the EU directives and acquis related to the environment and climate action; commends the work of environmental rights defenders and warns against the dire environmental impact of major public infrastructure projects carried out, such as Istanbul’s third and largest airport, the third Bosphorus bridge and the Akkuyu nuclear power plant scheduled to go online in 2023; takes note of the beginning of constructions of the Kanal Istanbul last year and underscores warnings of environmentalists and the Chamber of Environmental Engineers that the canal will imperil Istanbul’s tenuous water supply and devastate the surrounding eco-system, including the natural equilibrium between the Black Sea and the Sea of Mar-mara; is alarmed that years of waste mismanagement coupled with the effects of climate change have led to a pollution crisis of the Marmara sea which is now covered by marine mucilage, devastating the sea’s ecosystem and causing mass fish death; calls upon the Turkish authorities to take immediate action to protect the Marmara sea and ban any infrastructure projects that would further contribute to the pollution of the water body; welcomes in this regard the Turkish government’s decision to grant the Marmara sea special environmental protection status;

Amendment 49 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas Turkey, besides being a candidate for EU accession, is a key partner in relation to the economy, trade and migration, as well as a strategic partner and as such, Turkey is expected to respect democratic values, rule of law and human rights; whereas recently, work on the security dimension of the EU is progressing, receiving structure and substance, Turkey would represent an extremely valuable partner as a NATO member and, in this aspect, a military ally to most EU states;

Amendment 490 #

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)

24 b. Condemns Turkey for continuing to ignore the unambiguous calls of the international community, including the EU, to reverse its previous illegal activities at Varosha and avoid any additional unilateral actions that could raise further tensions on the island; regrets that the partial “opening”of Varosha by Turkey negatively alters the situation on the ground, undermined mutual trust and therefore the prospect of the resumption of direct talks on the comprehensive solution of the Cyprus problem; urges again Turkey to reverse this action and underlines that this unilateral action violates past agreements and convergences and all the relevant UNSC resolutions, particularly Resolutions 550(1984) and 789(1992) which call upon Turkey to transfer the area of Varosha to its lawful inhabitants under the temporary administration of the UN; warns against any change of the status quo at Varosha in violation of the aforementioned UNSC resolutions;

Amendment 491 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)

24 b. Strongly condemns the partial illegal reopening of Varosha , which undermines mutual trust and therefore the prospect of the resumption of direct talks on the comprehensive resolution of the Cyprus issue, by changing the situation on the ground for the worse, exacerbating division and embedding the permanent partition of Cyprus; warns against any change of the status quo in Varosha in violation of the UNSC resolutions; calls on Turkey to reverse this action and avoid any other unilateral action that could raise further tensions on the island, in compliance with the recent call of the UNSC; calls on Turkey to withdraw its troops from Cyprus, to transfer the Varosha area to its lawful inhabitants under the temporary administration of the UN in accordance with UNSC Resolution 550 (1984) and to refrain from actions altering the demographic balance on the island through a policy of illegal settlements;

Amendment 492 #

Andreas SCHIEDER, Nikolaj VILLUMSEN, François ALFONSI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)

24 b. Calls on Turkey to use the political leverage it has acquired in Libya for supporting the reconciliation efforts already put in place by the EU, helping in creating the preconditions for long-lasting peace and a true democratic transition; to this end, urges Turkey to halt its actions aimed at increasing its influence over Libya also through military presence as this behavior fuels instability and polarization within the country;

Amendment 493 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)

24 b. Condemns the ongoing Turkish attacks on Iraqi territory and the continued military presence on Iraqi territory, in particular the attacks on the Yazidi-majority Sinjar region, which are preventing the return of Yazidis and Christians who fled the so called "Islamic State" in 2014; calls for respect of Iraq's sovereignty and no further destabilization of Iraq;

Amendment 494 #

Nathalie LOISEAU, Frédérique RIES, Christophe GRUDLER, Ramona STRUGARIU, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ, Hilde VAUTMANS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)

24 b. Encourages Turkey and the EU to promote European integration by supporting young people, promoting youth participation and by building on prior experience in the cooperation in research and education; welcomes in this regard the agreements granting Turkey association status to Horizon Europe, Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps for the period 2021-2027;

Amendment 495 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)

24 b. Takes note with deep concern of reports about Turkey’s violation of the UN arms embargo in Libya; deplores the persistent absence of efficient cooperation between NATO Operation Sea Guardian and EU Operation IRINI, due to Turkey’s opposition to this cooperation, which is detrimental to the implementation of the UN arms embargo;

Amendment 496 #

Malik AZMANI, Urmas PAET, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nathalie LOISEAU, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Dragoş TUDORACHE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)

24 b. Calls on the EEAS StratCom divisions to document suspicions of Turkish disinformation directed at the EU, particularly in the Balkans and the MENA region and to report its findings to the European Parliament;

Amendment 497 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)

24 b. Welcomes the normalisation process between Turkey and Armenia and the appointment of Special Envoys for this purpose and calls on the EU to actively support this process;

Amendment 498 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 c (new)

24 c. Strongly condemns the Turkish military interventions in Syria, which constitute grave violations of international law and risk undermining the stability and security of the region as a whole; calls on the Government of Turkey to end its illegal occupation of northern Syria and Afrin and to withdraw its military and paramilitary proxy forces; reiterates that security concerns cannot justify unilateral military action in a foreign country; recalls its position, as expressed in previous resolutions, on the introduction of an initiative in the Council for all EU Member States to halt the licencing of arms exports to Turkey in accordance with Council Common Position2008/944/CFSP;

Amendment 499 #

Emmanouil FRAGKOS, Hermann TERTSCH, Angel DZHAMBAZKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 c (new)

24 c. Calls on Turkey to refrain from any unilateral actions which entrench on the ground the permanent division of the island as opposed to its reunification and jeopardise the prospects of substantial negotiations; calls on Turkey to begin withdrawing its troops from Cyprus and to refrain from any actions altering the demographic balance on the island through a policy of illegal settlements; taking note of the significant work of the Committee of Missing Persons (CMP) calls for improved access to military zones by the Turkish army, access to its military archives and information as to the relocation of remains from former to latter burial sites;

Amendment 5 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 2

— having regard to the Negotiating Framework for Turkey of 3 October 2005, and to the fact that, as is the case for all candidate countries, Turkey's relations with the EU depend on full compliance with Copenhagen criteria, and to the need to normalize its relations with all EU Member States, including the Republic of Cyprus;

Amendment 50 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas Turkey, besides being a candidate for EU accession, is a key partner in relation to the economy, trade and migration, as well as a strategic partner and a NATO ally that also occupies a key location for Europe;

Amendment 500 #

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 c (new)

24 c. Is worried that the racist right- wing extremist Ülkücü movement, known as “Grey Wolves”, closely linked to the ruling coalition party MHP, is spreading in Turkey itself, but also abroad in EU Member States; calls on the EU and its Member States to examine the possibility of banning their associations and organisations in EU countries; calls on Member States to closely monitor their racist activities and to fight back their influence, which is especially threatening for citizens with a Kurdish, Armenian or Greek background and anyone they consider an opponent;

Amendment 501 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 c (new)

24 c. Praises the important work of the bi-communal Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) and calls on the Turkish authorities to advance their efforts to provide the CMP proprio motu and without delay with all information at their disposal relating to burial sites and any other places where remains might be found, including information in military archives;

Amendment 502 #

Andreas SCHIEDER, Nikolaj VILLUMSEN, François ALFONSI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 c (new)

24 c. Condemns Turkey´s occupation of Northern Parts of Syria, where systemic human rights violations by Turkey or its proxy forces take place; calls on Turkey to withdraw its troops from Northern Syria which it is illegally occupying outside of any UN mandate;

Amendment 503 #

Nathalie LOISEAU, Frédérique RIES, Christophe GRUDLER, Ramona STRUGARIU, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ, Malik AZMANI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 c (new)

24 c. Is concerned by the attempts of the Turkish Government to influence members of the Turkish diaspora in the EU, in particular via the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), in order to interfere with EU democratic processes;

Amendment 504 #

Nathalie LOISEAU, Frédérique RIES, Christophe GRUDLER, Urmas PAET, Ramona STRUGARIU, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ, Malik AZMANI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 c (new)

24 c. Urges Turkey to adopt a more constructive approach for what concerns thestabilization of Somalia; calls on Turkey to increase its political andoperational coordination with the EU endeavors towards the stabilization of the country;

Amendment 505 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 d (new)

24 d. Notes that the persistent foreign interference in Libya continued to challenge seriously the implementation of the UN-led Berlin process; Turkey claimed that the UN embargo provisions, the articles on withdrawal of foreign elements and the suspension of military training in the cease-fire agreement are not applicable to the legitimate government; on a regular basis, the Turkish Ministry of Defence issued statements on ongoing training with Libyan forces and the legitimate presence of Turkish military forces; the presence of mercenary forces was a complicating factor; Turkey maintained its unjustified opinion that Operation IRINI is not balanced and that it disproportionally targets the Government of National Accord. Turkey continued to assert the validity of the Turkish-Libyan maritime delimitation and military agreements of 2019 which the EU considers an infringement upon the sovereign rights of third States, not complying with the Law of the Sea and having no legal consequences for third States; the EU listed a Turkish shipping company in the framework of violations of the Libya weapons embargo;

Amendment 506 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 d (new)

24 d. Encourages once again Turkey to recognise the Armenian Genocide, thus paving the way for a genuine reconciliation between the Turkish and Armenian peoples; calls on Turkey, in this regard, to refrain from any anti- Armenian propaganda and hate speech, and to fully respect its obligations to protect Armenian and other cultural heritage;

Amendment 507 #

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 d (new)

24 d. Stresses the need for the EU acquis to be implemented across the entire island following the comprehensive solution of the Cyprus problem; in the meantime the Republic of Cyprus is responsible for stepping up its efforts to facilitate the engagement of Turkish Cypriots with the EU;

Amendment 508 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 d (new)

24 d. Condemns the repeated attempts by Turkey to intimidate and gag Turkish Cypriot journalists and progressive citizens in the Turkish Cypriot community, thus violating their right to freedom of opinion and expression;

Amendment 509 #

24 e. Expresses deep concern for the open intervention of Turkey into the affairs of the Turkish-Cypriot community; Condemns the Turkish Republic for not allowing the entrance of Turkish-Cypriot peace activists in Turkey by calling them a "threat for national security".

Amendment 51 #

Nathalie LOISEAU, Frédérique RIES, Christophe GRUDLER, Ramona STRUGARIU, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ, Hilde VAUTMANS

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas Turkey, besides being a candidate for EU accession, is a key partner in relation to the economy, trade and migration, as well as a NATO ally and a strategic partner;

Amendment 510 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 e (new)

24 e. Recalls the need for Turkey to address obligations as regards the implementation of the EU-Turkey Customs Union, ensuring its effective application to all Member States. regrets Turkey’s continued deviations from its obligations under the EU-Turkey Customs Union, and recalls that trade barriers or equivalent that are not in conformity with it should be removed without delay; recalls, in this sense, that the current customs union will not achieve its full potential until Turkey fully implements the Additional Protocol to extend the Ankara Agreement towards all Member States without reserve and in anon-discriminatory fashion in relation to all Member States, and until all existing trade irritants are resolved; stresses that a modernisation of the Customs Union would be beneficial for both parties and would keep Turkey economically and normatively anchored to the EU; reiterates that this modernisation would need to be based on strong conditionality related to human rights and fundamental freedoms as prescribed by the Copenhagen criteria on good neighbourly relations with the EU and all its Member States and on its non-discriminatory implementation;

Amendment 511 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 e (new)

24 e. Calls on Turkey to cease all military interference in the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia;

Amendment 512 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 f (new)

24 f. Continues its support for the visa liberalization process once the set conditions have been met; points out that visa liberalization would constitute an important step towards facilitating people- to-people contacts and notes that it is of great importance, particularly for students, academics, business representatives and people with family ties in EU Member States, but stresses that there has been very little real progress on the six outstanding benchmarks still to be fulfilled by Turkey; asks the Government of Turkey to fully comply with these benchmarks in a non-discriminatory manner, including with regard to all EU Member States;

Amendment 513 #

Malik AZMANI, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nathalie LOISEAU, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Dragoş TUDORACHE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Insists that democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights should remain at the heart of EU-Turkey relations under any framework; ~~reaffirms its support for k~~concludes that Turkey has drifted unbridgeably far away from meepting the ~~accession process and its value-based approach as the main framework~~Copenhagen criteria, with no positive change foreseen on the short and/or midterm; calls therefore for the accession negotiations with Turkey to be formally suspended; notes however, that an EU membership perspective for ~~EU-~~Turkey relations, as it is still the most powerful tool to exercise normative pressure and sustain the democratic and pro-European aspirations of Turkish society; nevertheless remains open to the possibility of both sides reviewing, in a realistic manner, the appropriateness of this framework and its ability to function, or, if necessary, exploring other possible models for future relationwill remain possible, as laid down in Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union; calls instead for the creation of new momentum and structures to break the current deadlock and to move forward towards a closer, more dynamic and strategic, unique partnership that works beneficially for both parties by modernizing and enhancing the current Association Agreement as the main framework, based on specific benchmarks related to good neighbourly relations and respect for democratic principles, rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms;

Amendment 514 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Insists that democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights should remain at the heart of EU-Turkey relations under any framework; reaffirms its support for keeping the accession process and its value-based approach as the main framework for EU-Turkey relations, as it is still the most powerful tool to exercise normative pressure and sustain the democratic and pro-European aspirations of Turkish society; nevertheless remains open to the possibility of both sides reviewing, in a realistic manner, the appropriateness of this framework and its ability to function, or, if necessary, exploring other possible models for future relations; the EU, its members and its institutions have shown that, in recent international developments, the norms and values which are at the core of our European project, have become essential pillars in our external action and in relation with other global actors; this approach will only become stronger with the passage of time and we urge all our friends, allies and partners to take this seriously into account;

Amendment 515 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Insists that democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights should remain at the heart of EU-Turkey relations under any framework; reaffirms its support for keeping the accession process and its value-based approach as the main framework for EU-Turkey relations, as it is still the most powerful tool to exercise normative pressure and sustain the democratic and pro-European aspirations of Turkish society; nevertheless remains open to the possibility of both sides reviewing, in a realistic manner, the appropriateness of this framework and its ability to function, or, if necessary, exploring other possible models for future relurges both sides to explore possible new models for future relations and to formally end the accession negotiations;

Amendment 516 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

Amendment 517 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

Amendment 518 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Insists that democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights should remain at the heart of EU-Turkey relations ~~under any framework~~; reaffirms its support for keeping the accession process and its value-based approach as the main framework for EU- Turkey relations, as it is still the most powerful tool to exercise normative pressure and sustain the democratic and pro-European aspirations of Turkish society; nevertheless remains open to the possibility of both sides reviewing, in a realistic manner, the appropriateness of this framework and its ability to function, or, if necessary, exploring other possible models for future relations;

Amendment 519 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

Amendment 52 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas Turkey, besides being a candidate for EU accession, is a key partner in ~~relation to the economy, trade and migration, as well as a strategic partner~~essential areas of joint interest, such as migration, public health, climate, counter – terrorism and regional issues;

Amendment 520 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Insists that democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights should remain at the heart of EU-Turkey relations under any framework; reaffirms its support for keeping the accession process and its value-based approach as the main framework for EU-Turkey relations, as it is still the most powerful tool to exercise normative pressure and sustain the democratic and pro-European aspirations of Turkish society; nevertheless remains open to the possibility of both sides reviewing, in a realistic manner, the appropriateness of this framework and its ability to function, or, if necessary,is of the opinion that continuing the path towards accession is a dead end road that must be abandoned given the fundamental differences between the EU and Turkey; believes therefore that efforts should be directed towards exploring other possible models for future relations;

Amendment 521 #

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES, Nikos ANDROULAKIS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Insists that democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights should remain at the heart of EU-Turkey relations under any framework; reaffirms its support for keeping ~~the accession process and its value-based approach as the main framework for EU-Turkey relations, as it is still the most powerful tool to exercise normative pressure and~~its value-based approach to sustain the democratic and pro-European aspirations of Turkish society; ~~nevertheless remains open to the possibility of~~encourages both sides to review~~ing~~, in a realistic manner, the appropriateness of thise accession framework and ~~its ability to function, or, if necessary, exploring other possible~~explore new models for future relations;

Amendment 522 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Insists that democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights and the need for good neighbourly relations in line with international law should remain at the heart of EU-Turkey relations under any framework; reaffirms its support for keeping the accession process and its value-based approach as the main framework for EU-Turkey relations, as it is still the most powerful tool to exercise normative pressure and sustain the democratic and pro-European aspirations of Turkish society; nevertheless remains open to the possibility of both sides reviewing, in a realistic manner, the appropriateness of this framework and its ability to function, or, if necessary, exploring other possible models for future relations;

Amendment 523 #

Andreas SCHIEDER, Nikolaj VILLUMSEN, François ALFONSI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Insists that democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights should remain at the heart of EU-Turkey relations under any framework; reaffirms its support for keeping the accession process and its value-based approach as the main framework for EU-Turkey relations, as it is still the most powerful tool to exercise normative pressure on and constructive dialogue with the Government of Turkey and the best framework to sustain the democratic and pro-European aspirations of Turkish society and promote convergence with the EU; nevertheless remains open to the possibility of both sides reviewing, in a realistic manner, the appropriateness of this framework and its ability to function, or, if necessary, exploring other possible models for future relations;

Amendment 524 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Insists that democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights should remain at the heart of EU-Turkey relations under any framework; ~~reaffirms its support for keeping the accession process and its value-based approach as the main framework for EU-Turkey rela~~believes that it is high time to define a comprehensive, unified and coherent strategy for the medium to long term, among all EU institutions, a~~s it is sti~~nd Member States; Recalls th~~e most powerful tool to exercise normativ~~at the strong relapse in the paressure and sustain the democratic and pro-European aspirations of Turkish society; nevertheless remains open to the possibility of both sides reviewing, in a realistic manner, the appropriateness of this framework and its ability to function, or, if necessary, exploring other possible models for future relationsa of fundamental rights, the deteriorating human rights situation, the lack of freedom of the press and expression, the arbitrary detention of opposition politicians and journalists and the non-recognition of democratic elections show that Turkey's future cannot lie within the EU; the accession negotiations with Turkey must therefore be dissolved;

Amendment 525 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Insists that democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights should remain at the heart of EU-Turkey relations under any framework; ~~reaffirms its support~~considers that Turkey does not fill the necessary criteria needed for keeping the accession ~~process~~; reminds that andy i~~ts value-based approach as the main framework for~~mprovement of the official EU- Turkey relations, as it is still the most powerful tool to exercise normative pressure and sustain the democratic and pro-European aspirations of Turkish society; nevertheless remains open to the possibility of both sides reviewing, in a realistic manner, the appropriateness of this framework and its ability to function, or, if necessary, exploring other possible models for future relationsnd any move on the positive agenda as offered in the European Council Conclusions of October 2020 and December 2020, is dependent onan improvement of the civil and human rights and rule of law situation in Turkey;

Amendment 526 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Insists that democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights should remain at the heart of EU-Turkey relations under any framework; reaffirms its support for keeping the accession process and its value-based approach as the main framework for EU-Turkey relations, as it is still the most powerful tool to exercise normative pressure on and ~~sustain the democratic and pro-European aspirations of Turkish society; nevertheless remains open to the possibility of both sides reviewing, in a realis~~constructive dialogue with the Government of Turkey and the best framework to sustain the democratic man~~ner, the appropriateness of this framework and its ability to function, or, if necessary, exploring other possible models for future relations~~d pro-European aspirations of Turkish society and promote convergence with the EU;

Amendment 527 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Insists that democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights ~~should remain at the heart of EU-Turkey relations under any framework; reaffirms its support for keeping the accession process and~~are key elements in EU-Turkey relations; reaffirms its value-based approach as the main framework for EU-Turkey relations, as it is still the most powerful tool to exercise normative pressure and sustain the democratic and pro-European aspirations of Turkish society; ~~nevertheless remains open to the possibility of~~considers that both sides could review~~ing~~, in a realistic manner, the appropriateness of this framework and its ability to function, or, if necessary, ~~exploring~~adopt other possible models for future relations;

Amendment 528 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Insists that democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights should remain at the heart of EU-Turkey relations under any framework; ~~reaffirms its support for keeping the accession process and its value-based approach as the main framework for EU-Turkey rel~~calls for the immediate termination of accession negotiations, as it is still the most powerful tool to exercise normative pressure and sustain the democratic and pro-European aspirations of Turkish society; nevertheless remains open to the possibility of both sides reviewing, in a realistic manner, the appropriateness of this framework and its ability to function, or, if necessary,nd the suspension of the Customs Union between Turkey and the EU; stresses the need to fully review EU-Turkey relations and to explor~~ing~~e other ~~possible models for future~~models of relations;

Amendment 529 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

Amendment 53 #

Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Demetris PAPADAKIS

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas Turkey, besides being a candidate for EU accession, ~~is a key partner in relation to the economy, trade and migration, as well as a strategic partner~~continues to posture itself aggressively against the EU and Member States, including by instrumentalising migration to blackmail the EU;

Amendment 530 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Insists that democracy, the rule of law ~~and~~, fundamental rights and the need for good neighbourly relations should remain at the heart of EU-Turkey relations under any framework; reaffirms its support for keeping the accession process and its value-based approach as the main framework for EU-Turkey relations, as it is still the most powerful tool to exercise normative pressure and sustain the democratic and pro-European aspirations of Turkish society; nevertheless remains open to the possibility of both sides reviewing, in a realistic manner, the appropriateness of this framework and its ability to function, or, if necessary, exploring other possible models for future relations;

Amendment 531 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Insists that democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights should remain at the heart of EU-Turkey relations under any framework; ~~reaffirms its support for keeping the accession process and its value-based approach as the main~~takes the view that this process must be based on strict conditionality as the most appropriate framework for ~~EU-Turkey~~future relations, a~~s it is still the most powerful~~nd as a tool to exercise normative pressure and sustain the democratic and pro-European aspirations of Turkish society; nevertheless remains open to the possibility of both sides reviewing, in a realistic manner, the appropriateness of this framework and its ability to function, or, if necessary, exploring other possible models for future relations;

Amendment 532 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Insists that democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights should remain at the heart of EU-Turkey relations under any framework; ~~reaffirms its support for keeping the accession process and its value-based approach as the main~~is of the opinion that a new comprehensive privileged partnership, based on conditionality, would be the most suitable framework for EU-Turkey relations, a~~s it is still the most powerful~~nd a tool to exercise normative pressure and sustain the democratic and pro-European aspirations of Turkish society; ~~nevertheless remains open to the possibility of both sides reviewing, in a realistic manner, the appropriateness of t~~stresses in this light the need to finish the enlargement process and, in a realistic manner, to explore ways towards a new privileged partnershisp framework of cooperation and its ability to function, ~~or, if necessary, exploring other possible~~as a models for future relations;

Amendment 533 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)

25a. Notes the importance for Turkey, the Union and its Member States of cooperating closely in the fight against terrorism; welcomes the progress made by Turkey in strengthening its legislative framework against money laundering and terrorist financing in recent years; welcomes Turkey's cooperation with EU Member States in the detection and deportation of foreign terrorist fighters; urges the Turkish authorities to continue their efforts to develop close cooperation with the European Union in the fight against terrorism and to bring their legislation on terrorism and related practices into line with European provisions;

Amendment 534 #

Arba KOKALARI, Tomas TOBÉ, Jessica POLFJÄRD, Jörgen WARBORN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)

25a. Recalls that the external borders of the European Union, in particular those of Spain, France, Italy, Malta, Greece and Cyprus in the Mediterranean basin, are European borders and urges the EU to bring all existing instruments and all necessary means to bear to assist Member States suffering from systematic violations of their sovereignty and their borders and to treat such situations as a shared concern and not as isolated problems; recalls that one of the fundamental principles guiding all EU action is to ensure the defence of Member States' national sovereignty and their external borders and thus uphold common interests, values and objectives;

Amendment 535 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)

25 a. Takes the view that the European Union needs to develop a long-term partnership with Turkey, based on mutual interest and respect but without a direct prospect of membership; insists that such a relationship must be balanced, reciprocal in its commitments and underpinned by one Association Agreement to cover economic and political relations and cooperation in several areas, including but not limited to migration, security and environmental protection, whilst reiterating the principles of democracy and rule of law; calls therefore on the Council to remove Turkey from the list of candidate countries;

Amendment 536 #

Nathalie LOISEAU, Frédérique RIES, Christophe GRUDLER, Urmas PAET, Ramona STRUGARIU, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Klemen GROŠELJ, Malik AZMANI, Hilde VAUTMANS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)

25 a. Calls on the Commission for full transparency and accuracy in the allocation of funds under the successor of the FRT and requests that it ensures that these funds are primarily given directly to the refugees and host communities and are managed by organisations that guarantee accountability and transparency;

Amendment 537 #

Andreas SCHIEDER, Nikolaj VILLUMSEN, François ALFONSI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)

25 a. Calls on Turkey to reinitiate the dialogue with the Kurdish movement and to resume the peace process it had with the Kurdish movement between 2013 and 2015 to achieve a peaceful solution to the conflict;

Amendment 538 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 b (new)

25b. Takes note of the ongoing negotiations for an international agreement on exchanges of personal data between Europol and the Turkish authorities responsible for combating crime and terrorism; calls once more on Turkey to align its data protection law with EU standards in order to be able to cooperate with Europol and to strengthen the armoury of regulations to be deployed in the fight against money laundering, terrorism financing and cybercrime;

Amendment 539 #

Nathalie LOISEAU, Frédérique RIES, Christophe GRUDLER, Ramona STRUGARIU, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Klemen GROŠELJ, Hilde VAUTMANS

25c. Urges the Turkish authorities to work towards harmonising their visa policy with that of the European Union, this being a prerequisite for progress in the visa liberalisation process.

Amendment 54 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas Turkey~~, besides being a candidate for EU accession, is a key partner in relation to the economy, trade and migration, as well as a strategic partner~~ is a major neighbour and partner of the EU and is candidate to accession ;

Amendment 540 #

Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Notes that the current state of ‘conflictual cooperation’ in EU-Turkey relations is prone to producing unsatisfactory results; calls for a rebalancing of the relationship by building on the solid grounds for cooperation driven by mutual interests, and also by building confidence to address the lack of trust; bBelieves that an orderly dispute settlement mechanism may be beneficial in such an overall framework and calls on the Commission to explore the creation of such a mechanism;

Amendment 541 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Notes that the current state of ‘conflictual cooperation’ in EU-Turkey relations is prone to producing unsatisfactory results; calls for a rebalancing of the relationship by building on the solid grounds for cooperation driven by mutual interests, and also by building confidence to address the lack of trust; ~~believes that an orderly dispute settlement mechanism may be beneficial in such an overall framework and calls on the Commission to explore the creation of such a mechanism;~~

Amendment 542 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Notes that the current state of ‘conflictual cooperation’ in EU-Turkey relations is prone to producing unsatisfactory results; calls for a rebalancing of the relationship by building on the solid grounds for cooperation driven by mutual interests, and also by building confidence to address the lack of trust; ~~believes that an orderly dispute settlement mechanism may be beneficial in such an overall framework and calls on the Commission to explore the creation of such a mechanism;~~

Amendment 543 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Notes that the current state of ‘conflictual cooperation’ in EU-Turkey relations is prone to producing unsatisfactory results; ~~call~~wishes for a rebalancing of the relationship by building on the solid grounds for cooperation driven by mutual interests, and ~~also by building confidence to address the lack of trust; believes that an orderly dispute settlement mechanism may be benef~~calls on Turkey, once again, to strive to gain the confidence of the EU, which depends solely and exclusively on its genuine willingness to meet its obligations, bearing in mind that no incentives or novel dispute settlement mechanisms can ever replace the necessary politicial ~~in such an overall framework and calls on the Commission to explore the creation of such a mechanism~~will of Turkey to develop a genuine democratic framework and eventually join the Union;

Amendment 544 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Notes that the current state of ‘conflictual cooperation’ in EU-Turkey relations is prone to producing unsatisfactory results; calls on Turkey to reassess its assertive foreign policy, to cease unilateral actions and inflammatory statements; calls for a rebalancing of the relationship by building on the solid grounds for cooperation driven by mutual interests, and also by building confidence to address the lack of trust; believes that an orderly dispute settlement mechanism may be beneficial in such an overall framework and calls on the Commission to explore the creation of such a mechanism;

Amendment 545 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Notes that the current state of ‘conflictual cooperation’ in EU-Turkey relations is prone to producing unsatisfactory results; calls for a rebalancing of the relationship by building on the solid grounds for cooperation driven by mutual interests, and also by building confidence to address the lack of trust~~; believes that an orderly dispute settlement mechanism may be beneficial in such an overall framework and calls on the Commission to explore the creation of such a mechanism~~ in accordance with obligations under the Negotiating Framework;

Amendment 546 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Notes that the current state of ‘conflictual cooperation’ in EU-Turkey relations is ~~prone to~~ producing unsatisfactory results; calls for a rebalancing of the relationship by building on the solid grounds for cooperation driven by mutual interests, and also by building confidence to address the lack of trust; believes that an orderly dispute settlement mechanism may be beneficial in such an overall framework and calls on the Commission to explore the creation of such a mechanism;

Amendment 547 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

Amendment 548 #

Nathalie LOISEAU

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

Amendment 549 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Notes that the varying priorities of the EU institutions set out in the existing frameworks governing EU-Turkey relations make it very difficult to find an effective way to move forward; deplores the lack of a long-term strategy, a coherent policy and consistent leadership towards Turkey in the EU and among all its institutions; calls for a stronger, strategic and value-based leadership by the Presidents of both institutions and the High Representative, with appropriate accountability towards Parliament;

Amendment 55 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas Turkey~~, besides be~~ does not fulfil the conditions for remaining a candidate for EU accession, ibut remains a key partner in relation to the economy, trade and migration, as well as a strategic partner;

Amendment 550 #

Malik AZMANI, Urmas PAET, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

Amendment 551 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Notes that the varying priorities of the EU institutions set out in the existing frameworks governing EU-Turkey relations make it very difficult to find an effective way to move forward; deplores the lack of a long-term strategy, a coherent policy and consistent leadership towards Turkey in the EU and among all its institutions; calls on the EEAS to intensify transatlantic dialogue and cooperation with the Biden administration as regards to its relations with Turkey;

Amendment 552 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Notes that the varying priorities of the EU institutions set out in the existing frameworks governing EU-Turkey relations make it very difficult to find an effective way to move forward; deplores the lack of a long-term strategy, a coherent policy and consistent leadership towards Turkey within the EU ~~and among all~~; urges its institutions and member states to build a coherent and streamlined approach to this matter, as it is in~~stitution~~ relation to one of our largest neighbours and most important partners;

Amendment 553 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Notes ~~that~~ the varying priorities of the EU institutions set out in the existing frameworks governing EU-Turkey relations ~~make it very difficult to~~, and considers this prohibits finding an effective way to move forward; ~~deplores~~takes note of the lack of a long-term strategy, a coherent policy and consistent leadership towards Turkey in the EU and among all its institutions;

Amendment 554 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

Amendment 555 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Notes that the varying priorities of the EU institutions set out in the existing frameworks governing EU-Turkey relations make it very difficult to ~~find an effective way to move forward; deplores the lack of a long-term strategy, a coherent policy and consistent leadership towards Turkey in the EU and among all its institution~~achieved real progress or perceive any real commitment on the part of Turkey; calls on Turkey to give reasons for not heeding the voices calling for suspension of the accession process;

Amendment 556 #

Malik AZMANI, Urmas PAET, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nathalie LOISEAU, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Frédérique RIES, Dragoş TUDORACHE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)

27 a. Calls to further integrate Turkey into EU’s forward looking long term policy agendas on the crucial green and digital transitions as well as in health, and calls on the Commission to remain open to which other policy areas could be considered of interest for both sides and such as ways in which Turkey could be further integrated in EU value chains; is encouraged by Turkey’s continued strong participation in EU programmes, in particular in the fields of education, innovation, youth, and sports as they forge closer people to people partnerships and help synchronizing the green and digital transitions between the EU and Turkey; calls on the Commission to set up a Turkey investment platform (TIP) in full alignment with EU policy priorities and conditionality within the newly established European Fund for Sustainable Development plus (EFSD+) through which appropriate investment opportunities on national and local level contributing to the green and digital transitions can be coordinated and identified among European and International Finance Institutions; emphasizes that Parliament’s close involvement in the EFSD+ strategic board, responsible for steering investments and approve the creation of EFSD+ investment windows, is of key importance to ensure democratic oversight of this process;

Amendment 557 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)

27 a. Believes that the EU should continue to pursue all possible instances of dialogue, common understanding and convergence of positions with Turkey; invites Turkey to engage in constructive and bona fide dialogue –including on issues of foreign policy where Turkey and the EU have been on opposing terms- with a view to once again finding common ground and a common understanding with the EU, restarting dialogue and cooperation on good neighbourly relations, and relaunching the process of reforms in Turkey; reiterates that, failing that, and in the event of renewed unilateral actions or provocations in breach of international law, the EU should use all the instruments and the options at its disposal, including targeted sanctions as a last resort, which should not have an adverse impact on the Turkish people, civil society or refugees in Turkey;

Amendment 558 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)

27 a. Welcomes the meeting in March 2022 of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee and expresses in this regard the hope that the continued functioning of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee shall be restored;

Amendment 559 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 b (new)

27 b. Considers that, as a necessary step in order to improve the overall state of relations, both sides need to use respectful language, make efforts to fight existing prejudices and misconceptions, and allow for a more objective and complete consideration of the other side’s image in the respective public opinion, reversing the mutually deteriorating perceptions; calls on this view on the Commission to launch a communication policy towards Turkish society aimed at raising awareness about the EU; stresses that a belligerent, revisionist and aggressive rhetoric only reinforces extreme positions on both sides and that a purely confrontational approach plays into the hands of those who are aiming to pull Turkey and the EU apart;

Amendment 56 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas Turkey~~, besides being a candidate for EU accession,~~ is a key partner in relation to the economy, trade and migration, as well as a strategic partner;

Amendment 560 #

Malik AZMANI, Urmas PAET, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Frédérique RIES, Dragoş TUDORACHE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 b (new)

27 b. Welcomes that the Grand National Assembly of Turkey has finally agreed to hold an EU-Turkey Joint Parliament Committee (JPC) meeting in March 2022, the first such meeting since December 2018; upholds the view that parliamentary dialogue is a crucial part of EU-Turkey relations;

Amendment 561 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 b (new)

27 b. Calls for the mutually beneficial modernisation of the Customs Union, accompanied with an effective and efficient dispute settlement mechanism;

Amendment 562 #

Emmanouil FRAGKOS, Hermann TERTSCH, Angel DZHAMBAZKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

28. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the ~~Council and the Commission~~President of the European Council, the Council, the Commission as well as to the President, Government and Parliament of the Republic of Turkey, and asks the Commission and the European External Action Service to translate the Commission’s Turkey 2021 Report and this resolution into Turkish and to send a copy to Parliament..

Amendment 57 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas ~~Turkey, besides~~ being a candidate ~~for EU accession, is a key partner in relation to the economy, trade and migration, as well as a strategic partner~~country presumes the commitment to progressively align in all aspects with the values, interests, standards policies and the EU acquis;

Amendment 58 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)

A a. whereas economic integration with the EU remained high and Turkey positioned as the EU’s sixth largest trading partner in 2020, while the EU remains by far Turkey’s largest trading partner and its largest source of foreign direct investment(FDI); whereas Turkey is currently undergoing economic and financial difficulties which exacerbates the economic impact of the pandemic;

Amendment 59 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)

A b. whereas Turkey hosts the largest refugee population in the world, with almost 4 million registered refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, and whereas the EU-funding to these communities has proven its value for assisting Turkey in swiftly responding to the humanitarian and development needs of refugees and their host communities;

Amendment 6 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 2

— having regard to the Negotiating Framework for Turkey of 3 October 2005, and the Copenhagen criteria to which remains a precondition for the successful outcome of any accession process,

Amendment 60 #

Malik AZMANI, Urmas PAET, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nathalie LOISEAU, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Frédérique RIES, Dragoş TUDORACHE

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas, in the aftermath of recent tensions between the EU and Turkey, particularly in relation to the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, the European Council offered to nurture a more positive dynamic in EU-Turkey relations by expressing readiness to engage with Turkey in a phased, proportionate and reversible manner in a number of areas of common interest, subject to the established conditionalities set out in previous European Council conclusions, notably good neighbourly relations and respect for human rights and international law;

Amendment 61 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas, ~~in the aftermath of recent tensions between the EU and Turkey, particularly in relation to the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean,~~ the European Council offered to nurture a more positive dynamic in EU-Turkey relations by expressing readiness to engage with Turkey in a phased, proportionate and reversible manner in a number of areas of common interest, provided that the de-escalation of recent tensions between the EU and Turkey, particularly in relation to the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, is sustained and that Turkey engages constructively and subject to the established conditionalities set out in previous European Council conclusions;

Amendment 62 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas, in the aftermath of recent tensions between the EU and Turkey, particularly in relation to the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, the European Council offered to nurture a more positive dynamic in EU-Turkey relations by expressing readiness to engage with Turkey in a phased, proportionate and reversible manner in a number of areas of common interest on the condition of improvements in EU-Turkey relations and the respect for democratic values and the rule of law by the Turkish government;

Amendment 63 #

Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas, in the aftermath of recent tensions between the EU and Turkey, particularly ~~in relation to the situa~~following its provocative actions in the Eastern Mediterranean, the European Council ~~offered to nurture a more positive dynamic in EU-Turkey relations by~~ express~~ing~~ed readiness to engage with Turkey in a phased, proportionate and reversible manner in a number of areas of common interest, provided a sustainable de-escalation, a constructive engagement in a dialogue based on international law and other conditionalities established in previous European Council conclusions;

Amendment 64 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas, in the aftermath of recent tensions between the EU and Turkey, particularly in relation to the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, the European Council ~~offered to nurture a more positive dynamic in EU-Turkey relations by~~ express~~ing~~ed readiness to engage with Turkey in a phased, proportionate and reversible manner in a number of areas of common interest; provided that the de- escalation is sustained and that Turkey engages constructively, and subject to the established conditionalities set out in previous European Council conclusions;

Amendment 65 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas, in the aftermath of recent tensions between the EU and Turkey, particularly in relation to the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, the European Council offered to nurture a more positive dynamic in EU-Turkey relations by expressing readiness to engage with Turkey in a phased, proportionate and reversible manner in a number of areas of common interest, notwithstanding the insufficient engagement of Turkey with this positive agenda;

Amendment 66 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas, in the aftermath of recent tensions between the EU and Turkey, particularly in relation to the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, the European Council offered to nurture a more positive dynamic in EU-Turkey relations, provided that this continued to be met with constructive efforts, by expressing readiness to engage with Turkey in a phased, proportionate and reversible manner in a number of areas of common interest;

Amendment 67 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas, in the aftermath of recent tensions between the EU and Turkey, as well as between Turkey and some EU Member States, particularly in relation to the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, the European Council offered to nurture a more positive dynamic in EU-Turkey relations by expressing readiness to engage with Turkey in a phased, proportionate and reversible manner in a number of areas of common interest;

Amendment 68 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas, in the aftermath of recent tensions ~~between the EU and Turkey~~arising from the growing aggressiveness of Turkey towards the EU, particularly in relation to the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, the European Council offered to nurture a more positive dynamic in EU-Turkey relations by expressing readiness to engage with Turkey in a phased, proportionate and reversible manner in a number of areas of common interest;

Amendment 69 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas, in the ~~aftermath of recent~~ tensions between the EU and Turkey, ~~particularly~~ in relation to the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean have de- escalated but not ceased, the European Council offered to nurture a more positive dynamic in EU-Turkey relations by expressing readiness to engage with Turkey in a phased, proportionate and reversible manner in a number of areas of common interest;

Amendment 7 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 a (new)

— having regard to the declaration issued by the then European Community and its Member States on 21 September 2005, following the declaration made by Turkey upon signature on 29 July 2005 of the Ankara Protocol, including the provision that the recognition of all Member States is a necessary component of the negotiations, and to the need for Turkey to proceed to the normalization of its relations with all Member States and to fully implement the Additional Protocol to the Ankara Agreement towards all Member States, by removing all obstacles to the free movement of goods, including restrictions on means of transport, without prejudice and discrimination,

Amendment 70 #

Malik AZMANI, Klemen GROŠELJ, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nathalie LOISEAU, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Frédérique RIES, Dragoş TUDORACHE

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

B a. whereas Turkey has been repeatedly asked to refrain from all actions which violate the sovereignty and sovereign rights of all EU Member States, as well as from provocations which impair the prospects for a constructive dialogue and pose additional obstacles in its relations with the EU;

Amendment 71 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas being a candidate country presumes a willingness to progressively approach in all aspects the values, interests, standards and policies of the EU and to respect and uphold the Copenhagen criteria and to align itself with EU policies and objectives; whereas an analysis of the EU’s reports in recent years reveal that Turkey’s distance from the EU’s values and its normative framework is still ~~considerable~~vast and is even growing in fundamental areas such as respect for international law, the rule of law and human rights; Whereas the links between Turkish civil society and pro-democratic forces and the EU remain strong, as the EU is deeply committed to provide support to Turkish citizens and organisations that promote European norms and values;

Amendment 72 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas being a candidate country presumes a bounden willingness to progressively approach in all aspects the values, interests, standards and policies of the EU; whereas an analysis of the EU’s reports in recent years reveal that Turkey’s distance from the EU’s values and its normative framework is still considerable and is even growing in fundamental areas such as the rule of law ~~and human rights;~~ , human rights, and secularism of the state, while without any prospect of accession, the application letter submitted by Turkey in 1997 should be declared null and void; whereas there is therefore no sense in continuing the accession negotiations with Turkey, which should instead be terminated immediately;

Amendment 73 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas being a candidate country presumes a willingness to adopt a progressively approach and a firm commitment to meeting all obligations while gradually adopting in all aspects the values, interests, standards and policies of the EU; whereas an analysis of the EU’s reports in recent years reveal that Turkey’s distance from the EU’s values and its normative framework is still ~~consid~~practically insuperable and is even growing in fundamental areas such as the rule of law and human rights;, driving a major wedge between the two sides and thus hampering constructive parliamentary dialogue.

Amendment 74 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas being a candidate country presumes a willingness to progressively approach in all aspects the values, interests, standards and policies of the EU; whereas an analysis of the EU’s reports in recent years reveal that Turkey’s distance from the EU’s values and its normative framework is still considerable and is even growing in fundamental areas such as the rule of law and human rights as well as good neighbourly relations and regional cooperation;

Amendment 75 #

Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas being a candidate country presumes a willingness to progressively approach in all aspects the values, interests, standards and policies of the EU; whereas an analysis of the EU’s reports in recent years reveal that Turkey’s distance from the EU’s values and its normative framework is still considerable and is even growing in fundamental areas such as the rule of law ~~and human rights~~, human rights, individual liberties, civil rights and freedom of expression;

Amendment 76 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas being a candidate country presumes a willingness to progressively a~~pproach~~lign in all aspects the values, interests, standards and policies of the EU; whereas an analysis of the EU’s reports in recent years reveal that Turkey’s distance from the EU’s values and its normative framework is still considerable and is even growing in fundamental areas such as the rule of law ~~and human right~~, the respect of human rights and good neighbourly relations;

Amendment 77 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas being a candidate country presumes being a European country with a willingness to progressively approach in all aspects the values, interests, standards and policies of the EU; whereas an analysis of the EU’s reports in recent years reveal that Turkey’s distance from the EU’s values and its normative framework is still considerable and is even growing in fundamental areas such as the rule of law and human rights;

Amendment 78 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas being a candidate country presumes a willingness to progressively a~~pproach~~lign with the EU acquis in all aspects ~~the~~- values, interests, standards and policies of the EU; whereas an analysis of the EU’s reports in recent years reveal that Turkey’s distance from the EU’s values and its normative framework is still considerable and is even growing in fundamental areas such as the rule of law and human rights;

Amendment 79 #

Demetris PAPADAKIS, Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES, Giuliano PISAPIA

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas being a candidate country presumes a willingness to progressively approach in all aspects the values, interests, standards and policies of the EU; whereas an analysis of the EU’s reports in recent years reveal that Turkey’s distance from the EU’s values and its normative framework is ~~still consider~~almost unbridgeable and is even growing in fundamental areas such as the rule of law and human rights;

Amendment 8 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 a (new)

— having regard to the declaration issued by the European Community and its Member States on 21 September 2005, including the provision that the recognition of all Member States is a necessary component of the negotiations, and to the need for Turkey to proceed to the normalization of its relations with all Member States and to fully implement the Additional Protocol to the Ankara Agreement towards all Member States, by removing all obstacles to the free movement of goods, including restrictions on means of transport, without prejudice and discrimination,

Amendment 80 #

Nikos ANDROULAKIS, Demetris PAPADAKIS, Costas MAVRIDES

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas being a candidate country presumes a willingness to progressively a~~pproach in all aspects~~dopt the values, interests, standards and policies of the EU; whereas an analysis of the EU’s reports in recent years reveal that Turkey’s distance from the EU’s values and its normative framework is still considerable and is even growing in fundamental areas such as the rule of law and human rights;

Amendment 81 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

C a. Whereas Turkey does not intend to follow the EU sanctions imposed to Russia following its illegal invasion to Ukraine;

Amendment 82 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas over the past year, EU- Turkey relations have on average remained stable, as enhanced cooperation and dialogue on a number of issues have coexisted with regular conflicts; whereas this report reflects this situation by welcoming positive developments and pointing to further potential in the relationship, while signalling remaining problems, in particular as regards the ~~rule of law and fundamental rights;~~ ongoing provocations against the Republic of Cyprus and the rule of law and fundamental rights; whereas if this report is to assess Turkey’s progress or lack of progress in terms of human rights and rule of law, as the core of the accession process, it is important to describe the concrete mechanisms of erosion of freedoms that, taken together, lead to this general backsliding with regard to European standards; whereas this approach means going beyond a long list of citizens and groups who are suffering as a result of these decisions to identifying the operators and bodies of the public authorities responsible of this worrying situation in their particular area of action; whereas generic criticism must be replaced by targeted criticism;

Amendment 83 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas over the past year, EU- Turkey relations have on average remained stable, as enhanced cooperation and dialogue on a number of issues have coexisted with regular conflicts; whereas this report reflects this situation by welcoming positive developments and pointing to further potential in the relationship, while signalling remaining problems, in particular as regards the rule of law and fundamental rights; whereas if this report is to assess Turkey’s progress or lack of progress in terms of human rights and rule of law, as the core of the accession process, it is important to describe the concrete mechanisms of erosion of freedoms that, taken together, lead to this general backsliding with regard to European standards; whereas this approach means going beyond a long list of citizens and groups who are suffering as a result of these decisions to identifying the operators and bodies of the public authorities responsible of this worrying situation in their particular area of action; whereas generic criticism must be replaced by targeted criticism;

Amendment 84 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas over the past year, EU- Turkey relations have on average remained stable, as enhanced cooperation and dialogue on a number of issues have coexisted with regular conflicts; whereas this report reflects this situation by welcoming positive developments and pointing to further potential in the relationship, while signalling remaining problems, in particular as regards the rule of law and fundamental rights; whereas if this report is to assess Turkey’s progress or lack of progress in terms of human rights and rule of law, as the core of the accession process, it is important to describe the concrete mechanisms of erosion of freedoms that, taken together, lead to this general backsliding with regard to European standards; whereas this approach means going beyond a long list of citizens and groups who are suffering as a result of these decisions to identifying the operators and bodies of the public authorities responsible of this worrying situation in their particular area of action; whereas generic criticism must be replaced by targeted criticism;

Amendment 85 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas over the past year, ~~EU- Turkey relations have on average remained stable, as enhanced cooperation and dialogue on a number of issues have coexisted with regular conflicts~~the Council reiterated that Turkey continues to move further away from the European Union, and that Turkey’s accession negotiations have effectively come to a standstill and no further chapters can be considered for opening or closing, while according to the Commission, the underlying facts leading to this assessment still hold; nonetheless, dialogue and cooperation with Turkey increased in 2021; whereas this report reflects this situation by ~~welcoming positive developments and~~ pointing to further potential in the relationship, while signalling remaining problems, in particular as regards the rule of law and fundamental rights and good neighbourly relations and regional cooperation;

Amendment 86 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

Amendment 87 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas over the past year, EU- Turkey relations have on average remained stable, as enhanced cooperation and dialogue on a number of issues have coexisted with regular conflicts, such as the threat to expel Western ambassadors over their calls in relation to extremely serious matters concerning violations of human rights; whereas this report reflects this situation by welcoming positive developments and pointing to further potential in the relationship, while signalling remaining problems, in particular as regards the rule of law and fundamental rights;

Amendment 88 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas over the past year, EU- Turkey relations have ~~on average remained stable~~been strongly coloured by the often provocative conduct of Turkey, asnd enhanced cooperation and dialogue on a number of issues have coexisted with regular conflicts; whereas this report reflects this situation by welcoming positive developments and pointing to further potential in the relationship, while signalling remaining problems, in particular as regards the rule of law and fundamental rights;

Amendment 89 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

Amendment 9 #

Emmanouil FRAGKOS, Hermann TERTSCH

Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 a (new)

— having regard to the declaration issued by the European Community and its Member States on 21 September 2005, including the provision that recognition of all Member States is a necessary component of the accession process, and to the need for Turkey to fully implement the Additional Protocol to the Association Agreement in relation to all Member States, by removing all obstacles to the free movement of goods, without restrictions or discrimination,

Amendment 90 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas over the past years, EU- Turkey relations have on average remained stable, as enhanced cooperation and dialogue on a number of issues have coexisted with regular conflicts; whereas this report reflects this situation by welcoming positive developments and pointing to further potential in the relationship, while signalling remaining problems, in particulardue to the fact that EU disregards the aggression against Greece and Cyprus; whereas this report is critical towards the lack of EU initiative for legitimacy in the eastern Mediterranean, while signalling major internal problems, as regards the rule of law and fundamental rights;

Amendment 91 #

Nathalie LOISEAU, Frédérique RIES, Christophe GRUDLER, Ramona STRUGARIU, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ, Malik AZMANI, Hilde VAUTMANS

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

Amendment 92 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas over the past year, ~~EU- Turkey relations have on average remained stable, as~~despite enhanced cooperation and dialogue on a number of issues ~~have coexisted with~~, EU-Turkey relations have suffered regular conflicts; whereas this report reflects this situation by welcoming positive developments and pointing to further potential in the relationship, while signalling remaining significant problems, in particular as regards violations of international law, the rule of law and fundamental rights;

Amendment 93 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas over the past year, EU- Turkey relations have on average remained stable, as enhanced cooperation and dialogue on a number of issues have coexisted with regular ~~conflict~~tensions; whereas this report reflects this situation by welcoming positive developments and pointing to further potential in the relationship, while signalling remaining problems, in particular as regards the rule of law and fundamental rights;

Amendment 94 #

Marc ANGEL, Malin BJÖRK, Fabio Massimo CASTALDO, Terry REINTKE, Pierre KARLESKIND, Maria WALSH, Frédérique RIES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Dietmar KÖSTER, Malik AZMANI

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

D a. whereas bans on Pride events have constituted significant curtailment to the freedom of association and expression for LGTBI persons, justified by the ‘need to protect participants against terror threats’, ‘protection of public morals’, ‘social sensitivities’, the risk of these events ‘inciting hatred and enmity’ or to ‘prevent crimes being committed’; whereas these reasons constitute deliberate attempts at undermining international human rights obligations and reflect the need for progress on protection of LGBTI people, namely in the fields of freedom of peaceful assembly, association and expression;

Amendment 95 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

D a. whereas the freedom of religion or belief is deteriorating in Turkey, as the current regime is replacing laicism with the desire to establish Turkey as a Sunni Islamic power; whereas the government is implementing a ban on foreign religious workers and failing to protect the sites of religious minorities; whereas such and other acts by the government are contributing to a climate of social hostilities towards religious minorities, especially Christians and Jews;

Amendment 96 #

Nathalie LOISEAU, Frédérique RIES, Christophe GRUDLER, Ramona STRUGARIU, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ, Malik AZMANI

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

D a. whereas, the European Council, has highlighted that, in case of renewed unilateral actions or provocations in breach of international law by Turkey, the EU will use all the instruments and the options at its disposal, including in accordance with Article 29 TEU and Article 215 TFEU, in order to defend its interests and those of its Member States;

Amendment 97 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

D a. whereas Turkey’s interference in European democracies through efforts towards the Turkish diaspora is clearly documented, inparticular via the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB); whereas the Turkish Authorities actively called the Turkish diaspora to support “political parties that were not enemy of Turkey”.

Amendment 98 #