40 Amendments of Andreas SCHIEDER related to 2019/2176(INI)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1
Citation 1
- having regard to its previous resolutions on Turkey, in particular those of 13 March 2019 on the 2018 Commission Report on Turkey1 , of 19 September 2019 on the situation in Turkey, notably the removal of elected mayors2 , of 24 October 2019 on the Turkish military operation in northeast Syria and its consequences3 , and of 17 September 2020 on the preparation of the special European Council summit focusing on the dangerous escalation and the role of Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean4 and of 26 November 2020 on escalating tensions in Varosha following the illegal actions by Turkey and the urgent need for the resumption of talks 4a, _________________ 1 Texts adopted, P8_TA(2019)0200. 2 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2019)0017. 3 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2019)0049. 4 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2020)0230. 4a Texts adopted, P9_TA(2020)0332.
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 a (new)
Citation 1 a (new)
- having regard to its resolution of 15 April 2015 on the centenary of the Armenian genocide 1a, _________________ 1a Texts adopted, P8_TA(2015)0094.
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 5 b (new)
Citation 5 b (new)
- having regard to the Council Conclusions of 26 June 2018 and 18 June 2019 to the effect that the accession negotiations effectively come to a standstill and no further chapters can be considered for opening or closing and no further work towards the modernisation of the EU-Turkey Customs Union is foreseen,
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6
Citation 6
- having regard to the Council conclusions of 15 July and 14 October 2019 on Turkey’s illegal drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean, to the European Council conclusions of 1 October 2020 and 16 October 2020, to the statements of the EU Foreign Ministers of 15 May 2020 and 14 August 2020 on the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, to the outcome of the informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers (Gymnich) of 28 August 2020, and to all previous relevant Council and European Council conclusions,
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)
Citation 7 a (new)
- having regard to the restrictive measures framework established by the EU on 11 November 2019, as a response to Turkey’s illegal drilling activities in the eastern Mediterranean, which was renewed on6 November 2020,
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 a (new)
Citation 9 a (new)
- having regard to Article 46 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which states that the contracting parties undertake to abide by the final judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in any case to which they are parties, and, therefore, to the obligation of Turkey to implement all judgements of the European Courts, including the ECtHR,
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas, in spite of this principled stance by Parliament and all of the current circumstances, the European Council, in its conclusions of 1 October 2020, offered Turkey a renewed and broad positive agenda, provided that constructive efforts to stop illegal activities vis-à-vis Greece and Cyprus are sustained, in a further attempt to restore our relations;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Acknowledges the persistent strategy of openness and good will adopted by the EU and lately materialized in the renewed positive agenda offered by the European Council in October 2020; Stresses that no incentive that the EU could offer can ever replace the much- needed political will to build a mature democracy and, in turn, become a reliable ally and ultimately a member of the EU; Notes that ever since the last European Council conclusions, no efforts were attempted by Turkish authorities to advance towards benchmarks laid down in this broad agenda and that Turkey's confrontational attitude and rhetoric has even deteriorated;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Regrets that the current overly broad anti-terrorism provisions and the abuse of the anti-terror measures have become the backbone of this state policy; reiterates its firm condemnation of the violence by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been on the EU list of terrorist organisations since 2002;notes with great concern the continued mass incarceration of people convicted or held in pre-trial detention on terrorism- related charges based on scant evidence; reiterates its firm condemnation of any violence against civilians from all state and non-state actors.
Amendment 257 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Deeply regrets the discriminatory Covid-19 early release law which disregarded the right to life of those imprisoned on political grounds and failed to address the situation of those held in pre-trial detention; expresses concern about the unsanitary and overcrowded prison facilities.
Amendment 263 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Considers that the erosion of the rule of law and the systemic lack of independence of the judiciary continues to be one of the most pressing and worrying issues; condemns the increased surveillance by the executive and the political pressure affecting the work of judges, prosecutors, lawyers and bar associations; is appalled by the mass arrest and prosecution of lawyers for representing their clients; is concerned about the legislative amendment allowing for the division of bar associations along political lines in a way to diminish their role as human rights watchdogs.
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Expresses serious concern about the disproportionate and arbitrary measures curtailing freedom of expression, media freedom and access to information; condemns the imprisonment of journalists, media employees as well as social media users; notes with deep concern the increasing restrictions and censorship imposed on social media platforms; urges Turkey to guarantee media freedom as a matter of priority;
Amendment 315 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Notes with great concern the way that the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) has been specifically and continuously targeted by the Turkish authorities; strongly condemns the continued detention of former HDP co-chairs Selahattin Demirtaş; and Figen Yüksekdağ, members of parliament, elected mayors, administrators and members.
Amendment 326 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls on Turkey to release all imprisoned human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, academics and others who have been detained on unsubstantiated charges and to enable them to carry out their work without threat or impediment in all circumstances; strongly condemns the re-arrest and continued detention of Osman Kavala, a prominent civil society figure; and other prominent Journalists like Ahmet Altan and Hanim Büsra Erdal.
Amendment 366 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Remains deeply concerned by the situation in the south-east ofKurdish issue in Turkey with regard to the protection of human rights, freedom of expression and political participation;
Amendment 372 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Calls on Turkey to cooperate with relevant international organizations, especially the Council of Europe, in preventing and combatting illicit trafficking and the deliberate destruction of cultural heritage within Turkey and the occupied part of Cyprus;
Amendment 374 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Urges Turkey to protect the rights of minorities and vulnerable groups, including women, LGBTI people and ethnic and religious minorities; condemns the pervasive hate-speech against LGBTI people, especially when done by high-level political and religious figures; condemns the lack of proper investigation, prosecution and sanction of hate speech, both online and offline, and of hate crime; calls on authorities and officials to firmly condemn all acts of violence and hate speech against minorities and vulnerable groups and to investigate and prosecute them effectively;
Amendment 382 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Urges Turkey to protect the rights of minorities and vulnerable groups, including women, refugees, LGBTI people and ethnic and religious minorities; is appalled by the rise in hate crimes.
Amendment 390 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Urges the Turkish authorities to end the protracted bans on Pride marches in several cities; calls on the Turkish authorities to ensure that the right to freedom of assembly and association, as enshrined in Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights, can be effectively enjoyed, without discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity, in respect of the recommendation of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe;1a _________________ 1a https://search.coe.int/cm/Pages/result_det ails.aspx?ObjectID=09000016805cf40a
Amendment 392 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Reiterate its call on the Council to establish a comprehensive and effective EU-wide human rights sanction regime, which would allow for targeting any individual, state- and non-state actor, responsible for or involved in human rights violations, breaches of fundamental freedoms and the rule of law in Turkey;
Amendment 401 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Expresses concern about the reported deportation of Uighurs by way of third countries to China, where they are likely to face grave persecution.
Amendment 474 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Recalls the laudable role played by Turkey in responding to the migration crisis resultinghosting refugees from the war in Syria; takes the view that the EU should continue to give the necessary support to Syrian refugees and host communities in Turkey; supports an objective assessment of the EU-Turkey Statement and underlines the importance of both parties’ compliance with their respective commitments; however at the same time criticises the resettlement of Syrian refugees to Turkish-occupied regions in the North of Syria, from which the local Syrian population was previously displaced and is now prevented from returning; refugees must not be brought back to Syria against their will, nor must they be used to carry out demographic engineering against the Kurdish and Christian population in the North of Syria.
Amendment 520 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Stresses that a modernisation of the Customs Union could be beneficial for both parties and would keep Turkey economically and normatively anchored to the EU; reiterates that this would need to be based on strong conditionality related to human rights and fundamental freedoms; highlights that it seems unrealistic to envisagestresses that given the current circumstances, any modernisation of the Customs Union given the current circumstancescan't be envisaged; recalls that the current Customs Union will not achieve its full potential until Turkey fully implements the Additional Protocol in relation to all Member States;
Amendment 526 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 b (new)
Paragraph 26 b (new)
26b. Deplores Turkey’s continuing refusal to respect the aviation law and establish a channel of communication between air traffic control centres in Turkey and the Republic of Cyprus which entails real safety risks and dangers for the European passengers as identified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations and call on Turkey to collaborate by respecting the EU aviation law;
Amendment 528 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 c (new)
Paragraph 26 c (new)
26c. Urges Turkey to act in a spirit of solidarity without discrimination during the pandemic and regrets that Turkish authorities have denied entry into its airspace of a Cyprus-bound flight with medical equipment;
Amendment 533 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Is deeply concerned by the ongoing disputeTurkey’s illegal activities in the Eastern Mediterranean and the related risk of a military escalation; strongly condemns the threats of military action against EU Member States by Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean; strongly condemns Turkey’s illegal activities in Greek and Cypriot watermaritime zones, which violate both the sovereign rights of EU Member States and international law; expresses its full solidarity with Greece and the Republic of Cyprus; urges Turkey to engage in the peaceful settlement of disputes and to refrain from any unilateral and illegal action or threat; calls on Turkey to sign and ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which is part of the EU acquis, without further delay; reiterates its call on Turkey to respect the sovereignty and sovereign rights of Member States over their territorial sea and airspace and their lawful right to enter into bilateral agreements and to explore and exploit natural resources in accordance with the EU acquis and international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea; urges Turkey to engage in the peaceful settlement of disputes and to refrain from any unilateral and illegal action or threat; in this respect, welcomes the invitation by the Government of Cyprus to Turkey to negotiate in good faith the maritime delimitation between their relevant coasts, including by having recourse, to the International Court of Justice and calls on Turkey to accept Cyprus’ invitation;
Amendment 558 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Condemns the partial illegal reopening of Varosha beach, which undermines mutual trust and therefore the prospect of the resumption of direct talks on the comprehensive resolution of the Cyprus issue; calls on Turkey to reverse this action; reiterates its support for a fair, comprehensive and viable settlement on the basis of a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with political equalitycalls on Turkey to withdraw its troops from Cyprus, to transfer the Varosha area to its lawful inhabitants under the temporary administration of the UN in accordance with UNSC Resolution 550 (1984), and to refrain from any actions altering the demographic balance on the island through a policy of illegal settlements; reiterates its call on Turkey, to commit and contribute to a comprehensive settlement in line with United Nations Security Council relevant resolutions; reiterates its support for a fair, comprehensive and viable settlement of the Cyprus problem within the UN framework and in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions, international law and in line with the EU acquis and the principles on which the EU is founded;
Amendment 568 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Condemns the partial reopening of Varosha beach, which undermines mutual trust and therefore the prospect of the resumption of direct talks on the comprehensive resolution of the Cyprus issue; calls on Turkey to reverse this action and to refrain from provoking nationalist sentiments; reiterates its support for a fair, comprehensive and viable settlement on the basis of a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with political equality;
Amendment 573 #
28a. Stresses that, in spite of reiterated calls for de-escalations and peaceful conflict resolution through dialogue, Turkey did not refrained itself from further violating international law and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of EU Member States through unilateral and illegal actions; Calls therefore on the Council to impose restrictive sectoral and targeted measures against Turkey, which should have no adverse impact on the Turkish society;
Amendment 576 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Praises the important work of the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) and calls on Turkey to allow unconditional and full access to military zones and all relevant sites and to provide proprio motu with all relevant information from its military and other archives without delay, thus maximising the effectiveness of the excavations conducted by the CMP;
Amendment 592 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Strongly condemns the Turkish military interventions in Syria, especially in the northeast and Idlib, which constitute grave violations of international law and calls on the Turkish government to end its illegal occupation of northern Syria and Afrin and withdraw its military and paramilitary proxy forces;
Amendment 595 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Strongly condemns the Turkish military interventions in Syria, especially in the northeast and Idlib, Afrin, Ras al- Ayn/Sere Kaniye and Tal Abyad which constitute grave violations of international law;
Amendment 599 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
Paragraph 29 a (new)
Amendment 631 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Regrets that, rather than calling for an end to the violence and for a resumption of peaceful negotiations supporting the efforts of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group, Turkey instead decided to unconditionally sustain the military actions of oAzerbaïdjani forces and to directly and militarily intervene ofn their sides in the recent conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh;
Amendment 641 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)
Paragraph 31 a (new)
31a. Stresses that Turkey’s direct engagement in support of Azerbaijan, in the context of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, goes beyond its geo-economic interests and reflects a more ambitious geopolitical agenda, as is the case with Turkey’s actions in Libya and Syria, and notes with concern that Turkey’s continuous and growing distancing from European values and standards has brought EU-Turkey relations to a historic low point;
Amendment 654 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Believes that it is high time to review the EU’s relations with Turkey and to define a comprehensive, unified and coherent strategy for the medium to long term, among all EU institutions and Member States; However the strong relapse in the area of fundamental rights, the deteriorating human rights situation, the lack of freedom of the press and expression, the arbitrary detention of opposition politicians and journalists and the non-recognition of democratic elections show that Turkey's future cannot lie within the EU. The accession negotiations with Turkey must therefore be dissolved.
Amendment 657 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Regrets that Turkey has become from a partner to an instability factor in the EU Neighbourhood; Believes that it is high time to review the EU’s relations with Turkey and to define a comprehensive, unified and coherent strategy for the medium to long term, among all EU institutions and Member States;
Amendment 667 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 32 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Reiterates its calls on the VP / HR, for as long as Turkey continues with its current illegal, unilateral actions and aggressive and expansionist foreign policy, including in the Eastern Mediterranean that run counter to the sovereignty of any EU Member State (notably Greece and Cyprus) and international law, and does not engage in dialogue based on international law, to introduce an initiative in the Council for all EU Member States to halt arms export for all types of military equipment, including weapons, weapons for dual-use goods and know-how, to Turkey in accordance with the Common Position; recalls that Member States committed to strong national positions regarding their arms export policy to Turkey on the basis oft he provisions of Common Position 2008/944/CFSP, including the strict application of criterion 4 on regional stability;
Amendment 669 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Paragraph 32 a (new)
32a. calls on Turkey to stop the attempts to influence European policy through a targeted diaspora policy and to mobilise Turkish- and Islamic communities against the secular understanding of freedom of religion and expression;
Amendment 671 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 b (new)
Paragraph 32 b (new)
32b. Recalls that Turkey has to stop in particular the attempt of the Turkish government to spy and put pressure on opposition members and politicians of Turkish origin in Europe and condemns in the strongest possible terms all attempts to use violence and intimidation against intellectuals, activists or politicians in Europe.