31 Amendments of Nathalie LOISEAU related to 2022/2205(INI)
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas Türkiye remains a major neighbour of the EU, a candidate for EU accession, a NATO ally and a key trade and economic partner, as well as a key partner on migration;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas Türkiye has been gradually moving further away from the EU’s values and normative framework, as exemplified by an increasing number of laws and measures curtailing fundamental freedoms and human rights; whereas EU accession negotiations have effectively been at a standstill since 2018, due to the deterioration of rule of law and democracy in Türkiye;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas Türkiye has been gradually moving further away from the EU’s values and normative framework, as exemplified by a number of measures curtailing fundamental freedoms and human rights and by distancing itself from the EU foreign and security policy;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas the Turkish Government seeks to influence members of the Turkish diaspora in the EU, such as through the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) and the Turkish- Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB), to interfere with democratic processes in some Member States; whereas the Turkish Authorities actively called the Turkish diaspora to support “political parties that were not enemy of Turkey”;
Amendment 93 #
F. whereas the Turkish Government has repeis deliberatedly employed political delaying tactics and a transactional approach with regard to Sweden’s application for NATO membershipputting pressure on Sweden and delaying its accession to NATO membership at a moment of historical Russian aggressiveness;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas Türkiye is a member of the Council of Europe and is therefore bound by the judgements of the ECtHR;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Takes note of the results of the recent presidential and parliamentary elections in Türkiye and considers them a sign foreboding political continuity in the country; acknowledges the peaceful manner in which the Turkish people conducted this process and applaudnotes that the elections were largely peaceful, despite isolated instances of violence, primarily against opposition supporters and welcomes the high turnout; regrets, however, that, as reflected by the OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission, the elections did not takbiased media coverage and the placek onf a level playing field and were impactgave an unjustified, among other things, by essential freedoms being heavily hindered by the current legal framework and practicedvantage to the incumbent; regrets that harsher rhetoric, inflammatory and discriminatory language, including against minorities, and by the unjustified advantage enjoyed by the ruling partiecontinued intimidation and harassment of supporters of some opposition parties undermined the process;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Reiterates its profound sadness about the deadly, devastating earthquakes that shook south-eastern Türkiye and Syria on 6 February 2023 and its heartfelt condolences to the victims’ families; welcomes the international relief and recovery effort, including particular by the EU and its Member States, which has demonstrated strong European solidarity with the Turkish people; believes that the EU should continue to support the people of Türkiye for its humanitarian needs and reconstruction efforts; underlines that European solidarity could lead to a tangible improvement in relations between the EU and Türkiye;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Reiterates its profound sadness about the deadly, devastating earthquakes that shook south-eastern Türkiye and Syria on 6 February 2023 and its heartfelt condolences to the victims’ families; welcomes the international relief and recovery effort, the organization of the International Donor's conference for earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria in Brussels and the pledge of 6 billion euros of humanitarian aid for recovery and reconstruction in Turkey, including by the EU and its Member States;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Is of the opinion that the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine continues to impact EU-Türkiye relations in ways that are yet to unfoldas Türkiye attempts to uphold ties to both the West and Russia simultaneously; regrets and is deeply concerned that Türkiye’s alignment with the EU CFSP decreased from 14% to 7% in the context of the Russian War in Ukraine; therefore, calls on Türkiye to make significant steps on alignment to the EU’s CSFP as soon as possible, including on sanctions and the anti-circumvention of sanctions, as Türkiye has an instrumental key role to play in further isolating Russia and strategically weakening its war efforts; reiterates its appreciation for Türkiye’s role as an early mediator between Ukraine and Russia and the key part played by Türkiye in brokering and keeping alive the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which has been crucial in helping to counter a severe global hunger crisis;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. IDeplores Turkey’s weak level of alignment on the EU foreign and security policy; is of the opinion that the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine continues to impact EU-Türkiye relations in ways that are yet to unfold; reiterates its appreciation for Türkiye’s role as an early mediator between Ukraine and Russia andwelcomes Türkiye’s aim to facilitate talks between Ukraine and Russia and reiterates its appreciation for the key part played by Türkiye together with the UN in brokering and keeping alive the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which has been crucial in helping to counter a severe global hunger crisis;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. AcknowledgeNotes that the trade between Türkiye and Russia nearly doubled since the start of the War in Ukraine, and that there is an elevated risk that sanctioned goods and technologies, such as semiconductors, could pass through Turkish territory; Acknowledges Türkiye´s decision to halt the transit of sanctioned goods as well as the partial measures taken in recent months by the Turkish authorities to prevent the re- exportation to Russia of goods covered by EU sanctions, but urges them to go further in order to ensure that Türkiye stops being a hub for entities and individuals that wish to circumvent such sanctions; ; however, urges Türkiye to fully ensure that circumvention of sanctions shall never take place on its territory, and that it shall take all necessary steps to stop circumvention, including by punishing entities and individuals; in this regard, calls on the Commission to investigate the increase in trade between Russia and Türkiye and assess the relevant trade flows that could point towards circumvention of sanctions; is concerned about the presence of an increasing number of Russian citizens in Turkey, such as oligarchs, that take up residency in Türkiye, acquire citizenship, and invest their capital in real estate, and calls on Türkiye to avoid becoming a safe haven for Russian oligarchs;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Acknowledges the partial measures taken in recent months by the Turkish authorities to prevent the re-exportation to Russia of goods covered by EU sanctions, but urges them to go further in orderdeplores that Turkey refrained from aligning with EU sanctions against Russia, which is undermining the work of the REPO Task Force fighting against the circumvention of sanctions; urges the Turkish authorities to take measures to ensure that Türkiye stops being a hub for entities and individuals that wish to circumvent such sanctions;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Deplores, against the backdropStrongly deplores, in the context of the war, the delaying of the ratification of Sweden’s NATO accession, following the previous delay of Finland’s NATO accession, which has only playsed into Russia’s hands; invites the Turkish authorities to deliver on their promise of a more constructive partnership in NATO and to ratify Sweden’s NATO membership in the Grand National Assembly as early as possiblcalls on Türkiye, following the ratification of Finland’s NATO membership in March, to also ratify Sweden’s NATO membership without any further delay, as now is the time to show unity and strength within NATO and further isolate Russia; calls on the Turkish government to overcome any tensions with NATO allies by halting actions that go against the collective interests of the alliance, such as its destabilising involvement in various conflicts in the region; calls on the EEAS to intensify transatlantic dialogue and cooperation with the Biden administration as regards the relations with Türkiye;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Is concerned about foreign interference by the Turkish state in EU Member States which is directed towards European citizens of Turkish origins, such as in the Netherlands, where 40% of the Dutch-Turkish citizens have expressed the need to receive more protection against this foreign interference; calls on the Commission to implement the recommendations of the ING2 Committee in the Defence of Democracy Package to counter foreign interference by foreign authorities; calls on the EEAS StratCom divisions to document suspicions of Turkish disinformation directed at the EU and to report its findings to the European Parliament;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Takes note with deep concern of reports about Turkey’s violation of the UN arms embargo in Libya; deplores the persistent absence of efficient cooperation between NATO Operation Sea Guardian and EU Operation IRINI, due to Turkey’s opposition to this cooperation, which is detrimental to the implementation of the UN arms embargo;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Regrets that the unresolved conflict in Cyprus continues to be a major obstacle to EU-Türkiye relations and reaffirms that the only viable solution is a settlement on the basis of a bi-communal and bi-zonal federation;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Condemns the air strikes and repeated attacks against the autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq, which disregard Iraq's sovereignty;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5c. Commends Türkiye’s efforts to continue hosting the largest refugee population in the world of almost 4 million people; welcomes, in this regard, the continued provision of EU funding for refugees and host communities in Türkiye and expresses its strong commitment to sustain this in the future; recognizes the migratory pressure Türkiye is facing, but firmly objects to any instrumentalisation of migrants by the Turkish government;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5c. Condemns the air strikes and the recent retaliatory strikes in Northern Syria; recalls that these actions put the gains of the Global Coalition against Daesh made in the fight against the Islamic State in jeopardy; reiterates that ground incursion into Syria would have grave implications for international security;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Is dismayed byDeeply regrets the fact that, far from the negative trend stopping or being reversed, the democratic backsliding in Türkiye has continued in the last year, with new legal reforms and a relentless crackdown on any critical voice, particularly ahead of and during the recent elections; affirms with regret that Türkiye has now become a global showcase for all kinds of authoritarian practices; is deeply concerned that members of the opposition have come under increasing pressure, in certain cases leading to imprisonment; condemns the high number of imprisoned journalists and media employees; deplores the increasing online restrictions and censorship imposed by the Disinformation Law;
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Condemns the continued prosecution, censorship and harassment of journalists and independent media in Türkiye; is concerned as well by the targeting of journalists and political opponents originating from Türkiye in the European Union;
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Is worried by the increasing number of fake news in the Turkish social media environment; is also worried by the spread of state propaganda, in particular from the state-run news agency Anadolu;
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Remains deeply concerned about the lack of independence of the judiciary, the continued breach of the obligation to abide by the landmark rulings of the European Court of Human Rights, the serious restrictions on fundamental freedoms – particularly freedom of expression and of association – and the constant attacks on the fundamental rights of members of the opposition, lawyers, journalists, academics and civil society activists and in particular human rights defenders in Türkiye; is particularly worried by the continued crackdown on Kurdish politicians, journalists, lawyers and artists; expresses concern about as well as the deterioration of the rights of women and the constant targeting and harassment of LGBTI+ people, both of whom could see their rights further curtailed by the possible amendments to Türkiye’s constitution; is in particular worried about the issue of domestic violence against women and so- called “honour killings”, in the context of Türkiye’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, as well as the increased targeted attacks or hate speech including by high-ranking officials and politicians towards LGBTI+ people; expresses the expectation that civil society activists, in particular human rights defenders, will have the possibility to carry out their work freely, as this could strengthen the Turkish democracy; is deeply committed to provide support to Turkish citizens and civil society organisations that promote European norms and values;
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Concludes that the Turkish Government has no interest in closing the persistent and growing gap between Türkiye and the EU on values and standards, as it has shown, for the past few years, a clear lack of political will to carry out the necessary reforms to address, in particular, the serious concerns about regarding the rule of law and fundamental rights that continue to negatively affect the country’s EU accession process; furthermore, concludes that the Turkish government has not shown any interest to respect and uphold the Copenhagen criteria and to align itself with EU policies and objectives; underlines, in this regard, that accession negotiations cannot be resumed;
Amendment 233 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Expresses deep concerns about the continued proper funcdeteriorationing of Türkiye’s market economy, particularly with regard to the conduct of monetary and fiscal policies, and the institutional and regulatory environment; is concerned about the direct interference by the Turkish president in monetary policy; is of the opinion that Türkiye will need to implement reforms that will address the vulnerabilities of its economy and currency, such as the unprecedented high level of inflation;
Amendment 254 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Encourages once again Türkiye to recognise the Armenian Genocide, thus paving the way for a genuine reconciliation between the Turkish and Armenian people; calls on Turkey, in this regard, to refrain from any anti- Armenian propaganda and hate speech, to fully respect its obligations to protect Armenian and other cultural heritage and to exercise its influence on Azerbaïdjan in order to encourage a peaceful settlement between Erevan and Baku;
Amendment 272 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Welcomes the overall de-escalation of tensions observed in the eastern Mediterranean in recent times, particularly in the wake of the February earthquakes,; expresses solidarity with EU member states which have suffered from these tensions and expresses its hope that a possible new era in Türkiye’s foreign policy might yield positive results in the bilateral relations between Türkiye and all EU Member States; reiterates its long- standing support for a solution to the Cyprus problem on the basis of a bi- communal, bi-zonal federation and reaffirms its positions on the matter expressed in its resolution of 7 June 2022;
Amendment 340 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Reiterates its firm conviction that Türkiye is a country of strategic relevance in political, economic and foreign policy terms, a key partner for the stability of the wider region and a vitaln important ally, including within NATO, and reaffirms that the EU is committed to pursuing the best possible relations with Türkiye based on dialogue, respect and mutual trust, under the conditions that it does not further drift apart from EU values and foreign and security policy;
Amendment 354 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Considersmes to the conclusion, in view of all the above, that in the absence of a drastic change of course by the Turkish Government, Türkiye’s EU accession process has lost its purpose and will not endure much longer in the current circumstancesTürkiye has drifted far away from the Copenhagen criteria, with no positive change foreseen on the short or midterm, and that Türkiye’s EU accession process has lost its purpose; therefore, concludes that the accession negotiations with Turkey cannot be resumed; recommends, in that case, starting a reflection process to find an alternative and realistic framework for EU- Türkiye relations in substitution for the accession process; calls on the Commission, therefore, to explore possible formats for a mutually appealing framework through a comprehensive and inclusive process, such as an update of the Association Agreement, through a comprehensive and inclusive process; calls for an opening in the relations after the solidarity shown following the earthquake, and to use this new momentum to break the current deadlock and move forward towards a closer, more dynamic and strategic partnership that works beneficially for both parties by modernizing and enhancing the current Association Agreement, which could include provisions inter alia on rule of law, human rights, fundamental freedoms, migration, and trade;
Amendment 396 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Reaffirms its support for an upgraded c mutually beneficial modernization of the Customs uUnion with a broader, mutually beneficial scopen effective dispute settlement mechanism, which could encompass a wide range of areas of common interest, including digitalisation and Green Deal alignment; insists that such a modernisation would need to be based on strong conditionality related to human rights and the aforementioned principles; stresses that both parties must be fully aware of this democratic conditionality from the outset of any negotiations, as Parliament will not give its consent to the final agreement if no progress is made in this field; remains ready to advance towards visa liberalisation as soon as the Turkish authorities fulfil the six outstanding benchmarks;