21 Amendments of Fabio Massimo CASTALDO related to 2021/2250(INI)
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 11 a (new)
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 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
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 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
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 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
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 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
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 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
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 NATO 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, something that has lacked so far;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
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 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
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 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
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 269 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Regrets the sustained pressureharassment 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 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
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 299 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
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 attackhate 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 303 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
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 308 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
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 310 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 c (new)
Paragraph 15 c (new)
Amendment 375 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
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, calls on Turkey authorities to increase the living conditions of migrants and asylum seekers currently hosted in the country, and to guarantee that their rights are respected; calls on Turkey authorities to refrain from “weaponising” migrants using them as a means to acquire a political leverage on the EU and its Member States;
Amendment 410 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
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, refraining from entering in competition in the EU neighbourhood; calls on Turkey to halt its attempts to further polarize and exacerbate internal conflicts in the EU neighbourhood on the basis of ethnical and religious identities, and to adopt a more constructive approach aiming at reconciling all the different groups; urges Turkey to stop any provocation, aggressive posture and actions towards EU Member States in the air, land, maritime and cyber domains;
Amendment 455 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
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 480 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
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 492 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)
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 504 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 c (new)
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;