27 Amendments of Hilde VAUTMANS related to 2016/2308(INI)
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 a (new)
Citation 12 a (new)
- having regard to the decision of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on 24 April 2017 to reopen the monitoring procedure in respect of Turkey over serious concerns about respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law,
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 a (new)
Citation 16 a (new)
- having regard to the fact that Turkey is assessed as being in 155th place in the World Press Freedom Index, published on 26 April 2017, ranked lower than ever before and as one of the countries where journalists suffered the most threats, physical attacks, judicial harassment, including detention and prison sentences,
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 a (new)
Citation 20 a (new)
- having regard to the economic and financial situation in Turkey, which is due partly to the recent wave of attacks and to political instability, but also to deeper underlying problems with the economy;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 21 a (new)
Citation 21 a (new)
- having regard to the campaign meetings organised by politicians fromErdoğan's party in various EU Member States in support of the referendum of 16 April 2016 in which people were asked to vote on an amendment to the constitution which perceptibly increased presidential power;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Underlines that 2016 was a difficult year for Turkey’s population as a result of the continuing war in Syria, the high numbers of refugees, a string of heinous terror attacks, and a violent coup attempt in which 248 people were killed; reiterates its strong condemnation of the coup attempt of 15 July and expresses its solidarity with the people of Turkey; recognises the right and the responsibility of the Turkish government to take action in bringing the perpetrators to justice, with respect for the rule of law and the right to a fair trial;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses the strategic importance of good EU-Turkey relations for both sides; recognises that both Turkey and the EU have gone through their own internal transformation processes since the accession negotiations were opened in 2004; regrets that the accession instruments have not been used to the fullest extent in making progress towards the Copenhagen criteria and that, over the years, Turkey’s full integration into the EU has lost public support on both sides; remains committed to cooperating and maintaining an constructive and open dialogue with the Turkish Government, in order to address common challenges; recommends that the Council urgently invite the Turkish Government to a summit to discuss the obvious crisis in EU-Turkey relations that we are faced with;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Takes note of the outcome of the referendum that took place on 16 April 2017, held under the state of emergency and in circumstances that prevented a fair campaign; takes the electoral fraud allegations by the opposition and OSCE mission findings seriously; supports an independent evaluation of all claims regarding irregularities; notes the remarks of the Venice Commission on the constitutional reform, and underlines that the proposed constitutional amendments do not respect the fundamental principles of the separation of powers and sufficient checks and balances, and are not in line with the Copenhagen criteria;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to suspformally end the accession talks with Turkey if the constitutional package is implemented unchanged, as Turkey no longer meets the Copenhagen political criteria as regards democracy, rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Calls for the current stalled accession negotiation process to be replaced with a renewed political engagement between the EU and Turkey on economic cooperation, including issues such as deepening the Customs Union and visa free travel but also on shared geopolitical challenges such as the ongoing civil war in Syria and the fight against Daesh, and refugee and migration related issues; underlines that the new EU-Turkey relations could be established on the basis of a new Association Agreement and should contain conditionality provisions on respect for democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights, but also aim at increasing people-to-people contacts, such as student exchanges, scientific and university cooperation and visa liberalisation;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5 b. Points out that Turkey must abide by its commitments as a member of the Council of Europe and that any deepening of the EU's contractual relationship with Turkey will be impossible, if the death penalty is re- introduced; calls on Turkey to remain in compliance with its Council of Europe commitments and to implement constitutional and judicial changes and reforms in cooperation with the Venice Commission;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5 c. Underlines that if a referendum on the introduction of capital punishment is organised in Turkey, no voting should be allowed to be organised in EU Member States, stresses that there is no place for campaigning events or big rallies in favour of the death penalty to be organised inside the European Union;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Notes thaIs concerned about measures undertaken following the declaration of the state of emergency havewhich targeted alleged members/supporters of the Gülen movement, dissent in general and political parties of the opposition in particular; strongly condemns the imprisonment of 13 MPs belonging to the People’s Democratic Party (HDP), including its co-chairs, and of 90 Kurdish municipal mayors; urges the Turkish Government to lift the state of emergency immediately; underlines that the reintroduction of the death penalty would violate Turkey’s international commitments and lead to an immediate end to the EU accession talks;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Condemns strongly the violations of freedom of expression and the serious infringements of media freedom, including the disproportionate bannings of media sites and social media; notes with concern the closure of around 170 media outlets - including almost all Kurdish-language outlets and media (allegedly) related to the Gülen movement- and the jailing of more than 150 journalists; recalls that a free and pluralistic press is an essential component of any democracy and urges the Turkish government to release all journalists immediately;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Expresses its serious concern at the continuously deteriorating situation in south-east Turkey, especially in the areas where curfews were imposed, where some 2 000 people were reportedly killed in the context of security operations and an estimated half a million people were evicted from their homes and became displaced in the period from July 2015 to December 2016; notes that the government has denied observers access to the areas where human rights were violated and that local prosecutors have consistently refused to open investigations into the reported killings; is convinced that only a fair political settlement of the Kurdish question can bring sustainable stability and prosperity both to the area and to Turkey as a whole; notes that a series of laws have created an atmosphere of ‘systematic impunity’ for the security forces; regrets the decision of the Turkish Parliament to waive the immunity of a large number of MPs unconstitutionally, paving the way for the arrests of opposition politicians;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Underline that the Turkish Grand National Assembly should be the central institution in Turkish democracy, and represent all citizens on equal terms, regrets the high electoral threshold as a distortion of true political representativity;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Is concerned about the weakening of safeguards against abuse in detention and by increased reports of torture and ill- treatment in police detention; urges the Turkish authorities to thoroughly investigate the matters without further delay and to allow international observers to monitor detention facilities;
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. WelcomesCalls for the deepening of EU- Turkey relations in key areas of joint interest, such as counter-terrorism, migration, energy, the economy and trade; believes EU-Turkey cooperation in these areas to be an investment in the stability and prosperity of both Turkey and the EU but should always be rooted in respect for the rule of law and universal human rights;
Amendment 225 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. WelcomesCalls for the deepening of EU- Turkey relations in key areas of joint interest, such as counter-terrorism, migration, energy, the economy and trade; believes EU-Turkey cooperation in these areas towill be an investment in the stability and prosperity of both Turkey and the EU;
Amendment 277 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls on the Commission to take into account the latest developments in Turkey wpresent a plan on how to replace then conducting the mid-term review of theurrent Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) funds in 2017, and to suspend all pre-accession funds if Turkey no longer sufficiently complies with the EU’s Copenhagen criteria; calls on the Commission to use those funds to support Turkish civil societyby a more targeted and tailor- made fund for the support of Turkish civil society, the rule of law, democracy and judicial reforms and to invest more in people-to-people exchange programmes, such as Erasmus+ for students;
Amendment 286 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls on the Commission to take into account the latest developments in Turkey when conducting the mid-term review of the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) funds in 2017, and to suspend all pre-accession funds if Turkey no longer sufficiently complies with the EU’s Copenhagen criteria; calls on the Commission to use those funds directly to support Turkish civil society and to invest more in people-to-people exchange programmes, such as Erasmus+ for students;
Amendment 300 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16 a. Warns against the abuse of anti- terror measures to legitimize the repression of human rights;
Amendment 317 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Commends the engagement by the Turkish Government and the hospitality shown by the population in hosting around 3 million refugees; notes the EU-Turkey statement on migration, and urges the Member States to initiate the voluntary resettlement scheme for the most vulnerable refugees in Turkey; calls on the Commission to ensure long-term investment in both refugees and their host communities in Turkey; encourages the Turkish Government to grant work permits to all Syrian refugees and to respect the human rights of all refugees; calls on Ankara to keep up its patrolling efforts in the Aegean and to implement fully the bilateral readmission agreements signed with Bulgaria and Greece;
Amendment 329 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Condemns strongly the recent statements by President Erdogan accusing some EU leaders of ‘Nazi practices’ and warns that the continuation of such unwarranted statements undermines Turkey’s credibility as a political partner; notes with concern the reports of alleged pressure on members of the Turkish diaspora living in the Member States, and condemns the Turkish authorities’ surveillance of citizens with dual nationality living abroad; deplores the fact that in this way Turkey is exporting its internal conflicts to various EU Member States; is concerned at the revocation of a large number of passports, leaving people stateless;
Amendment 338 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Calls for a closer cooperation and coordination and strategic alignment of foreign policy challenges between the EU and Turkey; is of the opinion that the Turkish Foreign Minister should be invited to attend foreign affairs Council meetings on a case by case basis given Turkey's geostrategic position;
Amendment 341 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Takes the view that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's plan to hold a referendum on the reintroduction of the death penalty flies in the face of European values;
Amendment 343 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18 b. Recalls Turkey's strategic importance for EU's energy security as a key transit country, particularly considering the EU's strained relations with Russia, which is the EU's main gas provider; points to the three Southern Gas Corridor projects approved at the end of 2013, which will enhance the security of gas supply for Turkey and access to the EU as the main energy market; takes the view that in a context of increasingly competing energy markets and the need for diversified energy sources, Turkey, with its high potential of renewables, could provide an important contribution to the EU's energy security and its ambitions regarding energy diversification;
Amendment 374 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Calls for translation of this report into Turkish;