Activities of Renate SOMMER related to 2016/2308(INI)
Plenary speeches (2)
2016 Report on Turkey (A8-0234/2017 - Kati Piri) (vote) DE
2016 Report on Turkey (debate) DE
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the 2016 Commission Report on Turkey PDF (313 KB) DOC (69 KB)
Amendments (25)
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7
Citation 7
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)
Citation 7 a (new)
- having regard to its resolution of 15 April 2015 on the centenary of the Armenian Genocide1a _________________ 1a Texts adopted, P8_TA(2015)0094
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Underlines, however, that measures taken under the state of emergency had large-scale, disproportionate and long- lasting negative effects on the protection of fundamental freedoms in the country; condemns the collective dismissal of civil servants, police officers, the mass liquidation of media outlets, the arrests of journalists, academics, judges, human rights defenders, elected officials and ordinary citizens, and the confiscation of property and passports on the basis of emergency decree laws without individualised decisions, and without the possibility of timely judicial review;
Amendment 77 #
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 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 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 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Strongly condemns President Erdogan's call for a referendum on the possible reintroduction of the death penalty; calls on the Commission to clarify what activities, organised by Turkey, are incompatible with EU values and EU law; calls on the Commission and the Member States, if the death penalty is reintroduced, to immediately end Turkey's candidate status and terminate the accession talks with Turkey together with remaining pre-accession support;
Amendment 98 #
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; supports an independent evaluation of all claims regarding irregularities; notshares the remarkconcerns 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; notes the decision of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to reopen the monitoring process for Turkey;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to suspend the accession talknegotiations with Turkey ifas soon as the constitutional package is implemented unchanged; encourages the Commission and the Member States to make an honest offer for future cooperation and to discuss a new sectorial partnership in areas which are of mutual interest;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Notes that measures undertaken following the declaration of the state of emergency have 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 immediatelyis deeply concerned about the detention conditions resulting in a hunger strike of more than 110 Kurdish prisoners; urges the Turkish Government to lift the state of emergency immediately; stresses that the presumption of innocence is a fundamental principle in any constitutional state; urges the Turkish government to officially prove the alleged links to the Gülen movement and its involvement in the coup attempt; underlines that the reintroduction of the death penalty would violate Turkey’s international commitments and lead to an immediate end to the EU accession talksmembership bid;
Amendment 157 #
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 as well as the recent blocking of Wikipedia; notes with concern the closure of around 170 media outlets - including almost all Kurdish-language outlets - 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; notes the continuous deterioration in the press freedom index from Reporters without borders, ranking Turkey now 155 out of 180 countries;
Amendment 172 #
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 became displaced in the period from July 2015 to December 2016; notes that local prosecutors have consistently refused to open investigations into the reported killings; recalls that the Turkish government has a responsibility to protect all people living on its territory, irrespective of their cultural or religious origins; 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; deplores the widespread expropriations, including properties belonging to the municipalities and also church properties, which would be a violation of the rights of religious minorities;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on Turkey to protect the rights of the most vulnerable groups and of persons belonging to minorities; regrets that the LGBTI marches in Ankara and Istanbul weris seriously concerned about violence bannsed for the second consecutive year; is seriously concerned about gender-based violence, discriminationon religious grounds, continuous discrimination, also against Christians, hate speech against minorities, hate crime and violations of the human rights of LGBTI persons; calls on Turkey to harmonise its domestic legislation with the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention, which it ratified in 2014; welcomes the government’s national strategy and action plan for Roma and encourages the authorities to address key obstacles to the social inclusion of Romacalls on the Turkish government to start implementing the strategy and to set up a monitoring and evaluation mechanism; encourages the authorities to address key obstacles to the social inclusion of Roma; expects the Turkish government to treat every Turkish citizen without any prejudice towards his or her religious belief; deplores the plans to turn the Hagia Sophia museum into a mosque;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on Turkey to protect the rights of the most vulnerable groups and of persons belonging to minorities; regrets that the LGBTI marches in Ankara and Istanbul were banned for the second consecutive year; is seriously concerned about gender-based violence, discrimination, hate speech against minorities, hate crime, lack of respect for the freedom of religion or belief and violations of the human rights of LGBTI persons; calls on Turkey to harmonise its domestic legislation with the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention, which it ratified in 2014; welcomes the government’s national strategy and action plan for Roma and encourages the authorities to address key obstacles to the social inclusion of Roma;
Amendment 232 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Believes that strengthening trade relations could bring concrete benefits to citizens in Turkey and the EU, and therefore supports the Commission’s proposal to start negotiations on the upgrading of the Customs Union; reiterates that the EU is Turkey’s main trading partner and that two thirds of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Turkey comes from EU Member States; considers the involvement of social partners in negotiations as crucial; calls on the Commission to include political benchmarks on human rights and, fundamental freedoms and the principle of good neighbourly relations in the upgraded Customs Union;
Amendment 238 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Believes that strengthening trade relations could bring concrete benefits to citizens in Turkey and the EU, and therefore supports the Commission’s proposal to start negotiations on the upgrading of the Customs Union; reiterates that the EU is Turkey’s main trading partner and that two thirds of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Turkey comes from EU Member States; is seriously concerned about the legal uncertainty and the lack of guarantee for property resulting in numerous expropriations of private companies for vague and unproved reasons; considers the involvement of social partners in negotiations as crucial; calls on the Commission to include political benchmarks on human rights and fundamental freedoms in the upgraded Customs Union; underlines that the Customs Union can only reach its full potential when Turkey fully implements the Additional Protocol vis-à-vis all Member States; recalls the finding from the 2016 Report on Turkey that duty relief, free zones, surveillance measures and management of tariff quotas are not fully in line with the acquis; notes the Commissions' conclusion that further trade integration with the EU would be stimulated by Turkey's elimination of impediments to the functioning of the Customs Union;
Amendment 262 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Notes that visa liberalisation is important for the Turkish populationcitizens, particularly for business people, and will enhance people-to-people contacts; encourages the Turkish Government to comply with the final outstanding criteria, including revision of its anti-terrorism legislationfully and in a non-discriminatory manner meet the final outstanding criteria identified in the visa liberalization roadmap towards all Member States, including revision of its anti-terrorism legislation; stresses that visa free travel will only be possible when all standards have been met;
Amendment 270 #
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 to support Turkish civil society and to invest more in people-to-people exchange programmes, such as Erasmus+ for studentsespecially once the accession negotiations have ended;
Amendment 288 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Stresses the importance of the fight against corruption and recalls the findings of the Commission that Corruption remains prevalent in many areas and continues to be a serious problem; is concerned that the track record of investigation, prosecution and conviction in high-level corruption cases remained poor; underlines that progress in trade relations and in the visa-free regime is only possible if Turkey effectively steps up its fight against corruption;
Amendment 311 #
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 underlines the importance of a full and non- discriminatory implementation of all its aspects, 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; calls on Ankara to keep up its patrolling efforts in the Aegean and to implement fully, to enhance efforts to combat migrant smuggling and to implement fully and effectively the EU-Turkey Readmission Agreement and the bilateral readmission agreements signed with Bulgaria and Greece;
Amendment 327 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Condemns strongly the recent statements by President Erdogan accusing some EU leaders of ‘Nazi practices’ ands well as the abuse of some Member States and their citizens as 'Nazis' and insists on an official apology by the President; 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; is concerned at the revocation of a large number of passports, leaving people stateless;
Amendment 333 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Reiterates the need to strengthen good neighbourly relations; calls on Turkey, in this connection, to step up efforts to resolve outstanding bilateral issues, including unsettled legal obligations and disputes with its immediate neighbours over land and maritime borders and airspace, in accordance with the provisions of the UN Charter and with international law; calls on the Turkish Government to sign and ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); urges the Turkish Government to end the repeated violations of Greek airspace and territorial waters, as well as the practice of Turkish military aircraft flying over Greek islands; expresses its regret that the casus belli threat declared by the Turkish Grand National Assembly against Greece has not yet been withdrawn; urges Turkey and Armenia to proceed to normalise their relations by establishing diplomatic relations without preconditions, and calls for opening the Turkish-Armenia border, which could lead to improved relations, with particular reference to cross-border cooperation and economic integration;
Amendment 348 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Underlines that a settlement of the Cyprus problem would have a positive impact on the entire region, while first and foremost benefiting both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots; praises the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities in Cyprus for having achieved major progress in the settlement talks; welcomes the exchange of preferred maps, thus far unprecedented, and the first international conference held with the guarantor powers; supports the settlement based on a bi- communal, bi-zonal federation with political equality, a single international legal personality, single sovereignty and single citizenship with political equality between the two communities and equal opportunities for all its citizens, in line with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and on the basis of respect for the, the EU acquis, and the values and principles upon which the EUnion is founded; welcomes the intensified engagement by the parties to achieve the settlement of the Cyprus problem; expects Turkey to show active support for the negotiations, and reiterates that Turkey’s commitment and contribution to a comprehensive settlement remain crucial; praises the important work of the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP), and; expects rapid implementation of the declared intention to grant access to the Committee on Missing Persons to all relevant sites, including military areas; calls on Turkey to allow full access to all relevant sitarchives and to assist the CMP by providing information from its military archivemilitary zones in the northern part of Cyprus for exhumation and to provide all relevant information that will lead to the discovery of relocated remains; calls for special consideration for the work done by the Committee on Missing Persons;
Amendment 370 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Calls on Turkey to immediately withdraw its troops from Cyprus and to transfer Varosha to its lawful inhabitants in accordance with UNSC Resolution 550(1984); as an effort to pave the way for a democratic comprehensive settlement;
Amendment 381 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19 b. Deplores Turkey´s refusal to fulfil its obligation of full, non-discriminatory implementation of the Additional Protocol to the EC-Turkey Association Agreement vis-a-vis all member states, including the Republic of Cyprus;
Amendment 386 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 c (new)
Paragraph 19 c (new)
19 c. Deplores Turkey's policy of settlement and calls on Turkey to refrain from further settlement of Turkish citizens in the occupied areas of Cyprus, which is contrary to the Geneva Convention and the principles of international law; urges Turkey to terminate all actions that alter the demographic balance on the island thus impeding a future solution;
Amendment 390 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 d (new)
Paragraph 19 d (new)
19 d. Underlines the Republic of Cyprus' lawful right to enter into bilateral agreements concerning its exclusive economic zone; reiterates its calls on Turkey to respect the sovereign rights of all Member States, including those relating to the exploration and exploitation of natural resources when in line with the EU acquis and international law; calls on Turkey to refrain from any action damaging good neighbourly relations and a climate conducive to the peaceful settlement of bilateral disputes;