"Alle vertegenwoordigers van ChristenUnie-SGP in het Europees Parlement hebben zich altijd verzet tegen Turkse toetreding tot de EU. Ze hebben zich daarom ook verzet tegen toetredingsonderhandelingen en de vele miljarden aan subsidies die in dit kader in de afgelopen jaren aan Turkije zijn gegeven. Turkije is geografisch, cultureel en politiek geen Europees land en wordt dat ook nooit.

Tot voor kort was de meerderheid in de Europese Raad, in het Europees Parlement en in de Tweede Kamer van mening dat Turkije best kon toetreden. Deze opvatting brokkelt nu in rap tempo af: prima!

De resolutie van het Europees Parlement over de relatie EU-Turkije is niet perfect. Er wordt niet gesproken over het definitief kappen met de toetredingsonderhandelingen en ook de toetredingsfondsen kunnen helaas nog niet meteen worden stopgezet.

Toch, voor het eerst in de geschiedenis, roept het Europees Parlement op tot bevriezing van toetredingsonderhandelingen met een officiële kandidaat-lidstaat van de Europese Unie. Een historisch moment en een reuzenstap in de richting van ons standpunt over Turkije.

Ik tel dus mijn politieke zegeningen: het EP beweegt zich voor het eerst in zijn bestaan nadrukkelijk in de richting van onze opvattingen over Turkije. Daarom steun ik deze gezamenlijke resolutie."

PETER VAN DALEN

Europarlementariër voor ChristenUnie-SGP

Onderstaand de tekst van de resolutie (in het Engels):

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The European Parliament

-        having regard to its previous resolutions, in particular the resolution on the situation of journalists in Turkey, adopted on 26 October 2016 and the resolution of 14 April 2016 on the 2015 Report on Turkey;

-        having regard to the annual Turkey 2016 report, published by the Commission on 9 November 2016;

-        having regard to the EU Negotiation Framework for Turkey from 3 October 2005; 

-        having regard to the Council conclusion on Turkey of 18 July 2016;

-        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);

-        having regard to the right to freedom of expression enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Turkey is a state party;

-        having regard to the memos by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights;

-        having regard to the statement of 26 July 2016 by the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe on measures taken under the state of emergency in Turkey;

A. whereas the European Union and the European Parliament have strongly condemned the failed military coup attempt in Turkey and recognised the legitimate responsibility of the Turkish authorities to prosecute those responsible and involved in this;

B. where as Turkey is an important partner and as a candidate country, is expected to uphold the highest standards of democracy, including the respect for human rights, the rule of law, fundamental freedoms and the universal right of all to a fair trial; whereas Turkey has been a member of the Council of Europe since 1950 and is therefore bound by the ECHR;

C. whereas the Turkish Government’s repressive measures under the state of emergency are disproportionate and violate basic rights and freedoms protected by the Turkish Constitution, are in breach of democratic values upon which the European Union is founded and in breach of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; whereas since the coup the authorities have arrested 10 opposition HDP members of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, some 150  journalists - the highest in the world, 2 386 judges-prosecutors and 40 000 people have been detained and more than 31 000 remain under arrest, 129 000 public employees remain either suspended (66 000) or have been dismissed (63 000), according to the Commission Turkey 2016 report, and most of whom have had no charges brought against them to date;

D. whereas President Erdogan and Members of the Turkish government have made repeated statements on the re-introduction of the death penalty; whereas the Council in its conclusions of 18 July 2016 on Turkey has recalled that the unequivocal rejection of the death penalty is an essential element of the Union acquis;

E. whereas there are serious concerns over the conditions for those detained and arrested following the coup and over the severe restrictions in the freedom of expression and restrictions for the press and media in Turkey;

F. 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;

G. whereas a temporary halt of negotiations would entail that the current talks would be frozen, no new chapters would be opened and no new initiatives would be undertaken in relation to Turkey’s EU Negotiation Framework;

1. strongly condemns the disproportionate repressive measures taken in Turkey since the failed military coup attempt in July 2016; remains committed to keep Turkey anchored to the EU; calls, however, on the Commission and on the Member States to initiate a temporary freeze of the on-going accession negotiations with Turkey;

2. commits to review its position when the disproportionate measures under the state of emergency in Turkey are lifted; will base its review on whether the rule of law and human rights are restored throughout the country; considers a possible lifting of the state of emergency an appropriate moment to do so;

3. reiterates that re-introduction of the capital punishment by the Turkish government would have to lead to a formal suspension of the accession process;

4. 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;

5. notes that upgrading the customs union is important for Turkey; stresses that suspending work on upgrading the customs union would have serious economic consequences for the country;

6. calls on the Commission to reflect on the latest developments in Turkey in the mid-term review report of IPA foreseen in 2017; asks the Commission to examine the possibility of increasing support to Turkish civil society from the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights;

7. encourages the European Commission, the Council of Europe and the Venice Commission to offer additional judicial assistance to the Turkish authorities;

8. underlines the strategic importance of EU-Turkey relations for both sides; recognises that Turkey is an important partner of the EU but observes that, in partnerships, the will to cooperate has to be two-sided; believes that Turkey is not showing this political will as government’s action are further averting Turkey from its European path;

9. instructs its President to forward this resolution to the VP/HR, the Commission, the Council, the Member States, the Government and Parliament of Turkey.