Thursday

28th Mar 2024

MEPs prepare critical report on Turkey

  • Ankara - EU membership negotiations with Ankara began in October last year (Photo: Wikipedia)

Almost a year after Turkey officially opened EU membership talks with Brussels, MEPs are preparing a report strongly critical of the country's progress on human rights issues.

The 11-page draft report, drawn up by Dutch centre-right MEP Camiel Eurlings, says the the European Parliament "deplores the fact that only limited progress has been reported over the last year as regards fundamental rights and freedoms" and "deplores the absence of progress in the area of freedom of religion since parliament's last report."

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Get the EU news that really matters

Instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

It notes in the preamble that "freedom of expression is far from satisfactory" and that "corruption remains a serious problem."

The resolution also stresses that EU member states' negotiations with the country, opened last year in October, represent an "open-ended process and does not lead a priori and automatically to accession."

Managing Turkey

Tapping into a hot discussion held earlier this year on whether the EU will manage to take on board the huge and poor country, the draft also states the "EU's capacity to absorb Turkey while maintaining the momentum of integration is an important consideration…".

The key topic of Ankara's non-recognition of Cyprus also features with the report reminding Turkey that changing this remains a "necessary component of the accession process."

However, it does also note some positive aspects of Turkey's EU efforts saying that it "welcomes the adoption of the law on internally placed people" and "recognises the improvements in legislation … as regards the policy of zero tolerance towards torture."

The report, which appears annually, is causing the usual ripples in the EU assembly with MEPs proposing 343 amendments - around 115 pages. Currently, they are trying to forge agreement on eight pages of "compromise amendments."

MEPs from across the political spectrum are trying to get their view point into the report with comments on the new anti-terror laws in Turkey, on honour killings, on the genocide in Armenia and on changing the electoral threshold for representation in the parliament.

The Cyprus issue

The report is due to be voted on in the foreign affairs committee on Monday (4 September) and will then be put before the whole of the parliament, probably in late September.

The parliament is keen to get its vote and opinion on the table as quickly as possible so it can influence the European Commission's annual report on Turkey's accession progress - due out on 26 October.

For its part, the commission's report is set to be highly critical of Ankara's continued refusal to implement the Ankara protocol with the EU having repeatedly urged Turkey to lift its embargo on Cypriot-flagged vessels and aircraft as part of the country's membership negotiations.

Turkey's signature of the protocol extending a customs accord with the EU to the bloc's 10 new states - including Cyprus - should result in the embargo being lifted.

Ankara has indicated that any concessions to Nicosia would be dependent on moves by the EU to end the economic isolation of the Turkish-populated north of Cyprus – a stance Brussels has rejected.

A critical report by Brussels and continued resistance by Ankara on the Cyprus issue is set to bring the whole issue to a political head later this autumn.

MEPs back Armenia genocide clause in Turkey report

Turkey should recognize the Armenian genocide as a condition for its EU accession, MEPs argue in a highly critical report adopted by a broad majority in Strasbourg on Monday, but some members fear that the text could hurt EU-Turkey relations.

Ukraine slams grain trade restrictions at EU summit

Restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural exports to the EU could translate into military losses in their bid to stop Russia's war, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warned EU leaders during their summit in Brussels on Thursday.

Difficult talks ahead on financing new EU defence spending

With the war in Ukraine showing no signs of ending any time soon, EU leaders will meet in Brussels on Thursday and Friday (21 and 22 March) to discuss how to boost the defence capabilities of Ukraine and of the bloc itself.

Opinion

Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Rather than assuming a pro-European Labour government in London will automatically open doors in Brussels, the Labour party needs to consider what it may be able to offer to incentivise EU leaders to factor the UK into their defence thinking.

Latest News

  1. 'Swiftly dial back' interest rates, ECB told
  2. Moscow's terror attack, security and Gaza
  3. Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult
  4. EU unveils plan to create a European cross-border degree
  5. How migrants risk becoming drug addicts along Balkan route
  6. 2024: A Space Odyssey — why the galaxy needs regulating
  7. Syrian mayor in Germany speaks out against AfD
  8. Asian workers pay price for EU ship recycling

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersJoin the Nordic Food Systems Takeover at COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersHow women and men are affected differently by climate policy
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  5. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  6. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsThis autumn Europalia arts festival is all about GEORGIA!
  2. UNOPSFostering health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected countries
  3. European Citizen's InitiativeThe European Commission launches the ‘ImagineEU’ competition for secondary school students in the EU.
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste
  5. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  6. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA

Join EUobserver

EU news that matters

Join us