21 Amendments of Anna BONFRISCO related to 2021/2250(INI)
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas, in the aftermath of recent tensions between the EU and Turkeyarising from the growing aggressiveness of Turkey towards the EU, 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 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas being a candidate country presumes a bounden 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, and secularism of the state, while without any prospect of accession, the application letter submitted by Turkey in 1997 should be declared null and void; whereas there is therefore no sense in continuing the accession negotiations with Turkey, which should instead be terminated immediately;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas over the past year, EU- Turkey relations have on average remained stablebeen strongly coloured by the often provocative conduct of Turkey, asnd enhanced cooperation and dialogue on a number of issues have coexisted with regular conflicts; whereas this report reflects this situation by welcoming positive developments and pointing to further potential in the relationship, while signalling remaining problems, in particular as regards the rule of law and fundamental rights;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
D a. Whereas Sedef Kabas, a Turkish journalist jailed for reciting a proverb, is accused of targeting President Erdogan with a proverb that she quoted on live television on an opposition-linked TV channel; whereas she denies the charge and, if convicted, this charge carries a prison sentence of between one and four years;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)
Recital D b (new)
D b. Whereas an arrest warrant was issued by a Turkish court for Olympic swimmer Derya Büyükuncu and seven others for a comment he made to an Erdogan’s tweet. Whereas according to various Turkish media, Büyükuncu is accused of having "insulted Erdogan": insulting the president in Turkey is subject to criminal charges under the controversial Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), a crime for which one risks up to 4 years of imprisonment;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Reiterates its concern about the persistentgrowing distance between the EU and Turkey, despite it being a candidate country, in terms of values and standards, and the continuing lack of political will to carry out the necessary reforms to address, in particular, the serious concerns about the rule of law and fundamental rights that continue to negatively affect the accession process; considers that, without clearimmediate, clear and visible progress in this field, Parliament canmust not envisage any resumption of accession negotiations with Turkey, which have effectively been at a standstill since 2018; urges the Council and the Commission to end irrevocably all negotiations on Turkey’s accession to the EU;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Asks the General Secretariat of the Council and the Commission Legal Service to give an opinion on closing the accession negotiations with Turkey, with the aim of reversing the 1999 Council decision to declare Turkey's eligible to join the EU;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes, however, that there has been a slight improvement over the past year in overall EU-Turkey relations, which have on average remained stable, as enhanced cooperation and dialogue on a number of issues have coexisted with regular conflicts; expresses its hope that this pattern of ‘conflictual cooperation’ can be overcome and replaced with a more positive dynamicalternating conflicts;
Amendment 148 #
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 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 acurges the Turkish authorities to demonstrate tangible commitment to becoming a more democratic country and thus to the values of Europe, and to put an end to all provocations and demonstrate this commitment with specific facts and decisiongainst EU Member States;
Amendment 177 #
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; calls on Turkey to launch investigations into the cases of Simoni Diril, who was found dead near her home in the Sirniak region in March 2020, and of her husband Hurmuz, whose children have not received any information about since 11 January 2020; both Christians were abducted at that time, and the Turkish justice system refused to open a proper investigation;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Notes with great concern that the Turkish authorities have opened more than 160,000 investigations into alleged insults since Erdoğan became president in 2014, and more than 3,600 people have been convicted under the controversial law, including the recent situation involving the Olympic swimmer Derya Büyükuncu. Deplores that even the most minor criticism of Erdoğan or his government is perceived as an insult;
Amendment 245 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Asserts that the continued prosecution, censorship and harassment of journalists and independent media remains an issue of concern; regrets that tens of thousands of Turkish journalist have been charged and sentenced over the crime of insulting Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the seven years since he became president, including the most recent case of Sedef Kabas, a Turkish journalist jailed for reciting a proverb;
Amendment 354 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Deplores the decision taken by Turkey to convert the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul into a mosque; points out that determining to do this distances the European Union and Turkey considerably further;
Amendment 379 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Commends the efforts made by Turkey to continueNotes Turkey's commitment to 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 commitmentCalls on Turkey, however, not to use the Refugee Facility (FRT) and the threat of unbearable migratory pressure to challenge and blackmail the EU and its Member States in order to secure greater leverage for political, economic or military concessions, to sjustain this support in the future; ify its aggressive behaviour towards EU Member States or to pursue its foreign policy ambitions;
Amendment 394 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Deplores Turkey’s blackmailing approach of using the migration crisis to demand an increase in financial resources from the European Union;
Amendment 423 #
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 EUfor it not to conflict with that of the EU or of its individual Member States;
Amendment 431 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Urges Turkey not to intervene in areas of the Mediterranean which are already under severe tension, such as Libya, in order to avoid a deterioration in difficult situations whose repercussions spill over into Europe;
Amendment 486 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Amendment 487 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24 a. Reiterates its call expressed in its resolution of 15 April 2015 and strongly urges the Turkish government to recognize the Armenian genocide;
Amendment 527 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Insists that democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights should remain at the heart of EU-Turkey relations under any framework; reaffirms its support for keeping the accession process andare key elements in EU-Turkey relations; reaffirms its value-based approach as the main framework for EU-Turkey relations, as it is still the most powerful tool to exercise normative pressure and sustain the democratic and pro-European aspirations of Turkish society; nevertheless remains open to the possibility ofconsiders that both sides could reviewing, in a realistic manner, the appropriateness of this framework and its ability to function, or, if necessary, exploringadopt other possible models for future relations;
Amendment 553 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Notes that the varying priorities of the EU institutions set out in the existing frameworks governing EU-Turkey relations make it very difficult to, and considers this prohibits finding an effective way to move forward; deplorestakes note of the lack of a long-term strategy, a coherent policy and consistent leadership towards Turkey in the EU and among all its institutions;