Turkey's accession to the EU

16.3.2016

Question for written answer E-002225-16
to the Commission
Rule 130
Louis Aliot (ENF)

On 10 March 2016, the Washington Post published an article in which two former US ambassadors condemned the anti-democratic direction being taken by the President of Turkey in his policies. Until 2012, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan worked to strengthen his country's economy, but his current policies are somewhat more sinister, since alongside the economic slowdown and the upsurge in internal conflicts, he seems to be installing a genuinely authoritarian regime.

The article reports on measures such as the silencing of opposition newspapers, party changes that systematically violate human rights and the proposed amendment of the Constitution. What they say is supported by the fact that tens of thousands of children have been forcibly enrolled in Koranic schools. Besides this, the two men roundly condemned the support and weapons being provided by the Turkish Government to terrorist groups involved in the conflict in Syria.

It would seem that doubt over President Erdoğan’s role in the region is even beginning to creep in to US diplomatic circles, despite the fact that the United States is historically an ally of Turkey.

Will the Commission take action on these statements by reviewing its position on Turkey’s accession to the EU?