MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on EU-Turkey relations
22.11.2016 - (2016/2993(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 123(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Cristian Dan Preda, Renate Sommer, Elmar Brok on behalf of the PPE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-1276/2016
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on Turkey, in particular that of 27 October 2016 on the situation of journalists in Turkey[1],
– having regard to the Negotiating Framework for Turkey of 3 October 2005,
– having regard to the Turkey 2016 Report of 9 November 2016 (SWD(2016)0366),
– having regard to Regulation (EU) No 231/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2014 establishing an Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA II)[2],
– having regard to Rule 123(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the European Union and the European Parliament have strongly condemned the failed military coup in Turkey and recognised the legitimate responsibility of the Turkish authorities to prosecute those responsible and involved in this attempt;
B. whereas the Turkish authorities’ repressive measures against opposition parties, including the arrest of opposition leaders and members of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, journalists and others are disproportionate and against Turkish domestic legislation, in breach of the commitments of a member state of the Council of Europe and against the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;
C. whereas President Erdogan and members of the Turkish Government have made repeated statements on the reintroduction of the death penalty;
D. whereas there are serious concerns about the conditions for those detained and arrested following the coup, the wide-scale dismissal of state officials, and the severe restrictions of freedom of expression and restrictions on the press and media in Turkey;
E. whereas paragraph 5 of the Negotiating Framework stipulates that in the case of a serious and persistent breach in Turkey of the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and the rule of law on which the Union is founded, the Commission will, on its own initiative or on the request of one third of the Member States, recommend the suspension of negotiations and propose the conditions for eventual resumption;
1. Strongly condemns the disproportionate repressive measures taken in Turkey since the failed military coup attempt in July 2016, which Parliament has also condemned; calls on the Commission and the Member States to initiate a temporary postponement of the ongoing negotiations with Turkey, in any case under the present conditions;
2. Notes that deepening the customs union is important for Turkey; stresses that suspending work on deepening the customs union has serious economic consequences for the country;
3. Underlines that the reintroduction of capital punishment would lead to the end of the negotiations;
4. Acknowledges that Turkey is in a difficult security situation with threats to its stability from both inside and outside, but reiterates that this cannot justify politically motivated arrests of innocent people, including detention of foreign nationals;
5. Notes that to date Turkey has not fulfilled 7 out of 72 benchmarks of the visa liberalisation roadmap, some of which are of particular importance;
6. Calls on the Commission to set out clear benchmarks for the resumption of negotiations, taking into consideration the Copenhagen criteria and Turkey’s obligations as a member of the Council of Europe;
7. Asks the Commission to consider the temporary suspension of the funding provided under the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA II); underlines that a part of the IPA funding could be channelled to increased support for the refugees and migrants in Turkey;
8. Encourages the Commission, the Council of Europe and the Venice Commission to offer additional judicial assistance to the Turkish authorities, in order to safeguard sound legal proceedings and adequate and safe detention conditions for those arrested and accused of involvement in the military coup attempt of 15 July 2016;
9. Underlines the strategic importance of EU-Turkey relations for both sides; notes that the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy indicated on 14 November 2016 that the Foreign Ministers agreed to continue to have first of all a strong and united position at 28;
10. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Commission, the Council, the Member States, and the Government and Parliament of Turkey.
- [1] Texts adopted, P8_TA(2016)0423.
- [2] OJ L 77, 15.3.2014, p. 11.