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EU: TURKEY URGED TO REINVIGORATE REFORMS AND ADMIT CYPRIOT PLANES AND VESSELS
European Parliament
http://www.europarl.eu.int/
Sept 6 2006
The Foreign Affairs Committee remains firmly committed to accession
as the goal of EU negotiations with Turkey, but says that both in
Turkey and in the EU important reforms are needed in order to achieve
this outcome. In a report adopted on Monday, the committee welcomes
the start of the accession negotiations with Turkey, but expresses
regret that the reform process in Turkey has slowed down. The text
will be debated by the whole Parliament during the plenary session
of 25-28 September.
The report, prepared by Camiel Eurlings (EPP-ED, NL) and adopted by 53
votes in favour to 6 against with 8 abstentions, notes "persistent
shortcomings" in areas such as freedom of expression, religious
and minority rights, the role of the military, policing, women's
rights, trade union rights and cultural rights. It urges Turkey to
"reinvigorate" the reform process.
MEPs also urge Turkey "to take concrete steps for the normalisation
of bilateral relations" with Cyprus "as soon as possible". They refer
to the Council declaration of 21 September 2005, which said that
continuing negotiations would depend on Turkey opening its borders to
Cypriot vessels and airplanes and that the situation would be reviewed
in 2006. Regarding Cyprus itself, MEPs welcome the meeting between
Mr Papadopoulos and Mr Talat, which led to the agreement of 8 July.
On other issues, the Foreign Affairs committee call on Turkey to
recognise the Armenian genocide as a precondition for accession. And
it called for a lowering of the threshold of ten percent of the votes
below which political parties cannot enter the Turkish parliament.
MEPs repeat that negotiations do no lead automatically to accession
and said that whether or not negotiations are successfully concluded,
Turkey must remain "fully anchored in European structures."
Before the start of the vote, Mr Eurlings said that "unfortunately,
reforms have clearly slowed down." He hoped that the Turkish government
would regard his report "as a signal and an incentive to reintroduce
the vigorous speed of reform it had shown in the year before accession
negotiations started."
European Parliament
http://www.europarl.eu.int/
Sept 6 2006
The Foreign Affairs Committee remains firmly committed to accession
as the goal of EU negotiations with Turkey, but says that both in
Turkey and in the EU important reforms are needed in order to achieve
this outcome. In a report adopted on Monday, the committee welcomes
the start of the accession negotiations with Turkey, but expresses
regret that the reform process in Turkey has slowed down. The text
will be debated by the whole Parliament during the plenary session
of 25-28 September.
The report, prepared by Camiel Eurlings (EPP-ED, NL) and adopted by 53
votes in favour to 6 against with 8 abstentions, notes "persistent
shortcomings" in areas such as freedom of expression, religious
and minority rights, the role of the military, policing, women's
rights, trade union rights and cultural rights. It urges Turkey to
"reinvigorate" the reform process.
MEPs also urge Turkey "to take concrete steps for the normalisation
of bilateral relations" with Cyprus "as soon as possible". They refer
to the Council declaration of 21 September 2005, which said that
continuing negotiations would depend on Turkey opening its borders to
Cypriot vessels and airplanes and that the situation would be reviewed
in 2006. Regarding Cyprus itself, MEPs welcome the meeting between
Mr Papadopoulos and Mr Talat, which led to the agreement of 8 July.
On other issues, the Foreign Affairs committee call on Turkey to
recognise the Armenian genocide as a precondition for accession. And
it called for a lowering of the threshold of ten percent of the votes
below which political parties cannot enter the Turkish parliament.
MEPs repeat that negotiations do no lead automatically to accession
and said that whether or not negotiations are successfully concluded,
Turkey must remain "fully anchored in European structures."
Before the start of the vote, Mr Eurlings said that "unfortunately,
reforms have clearly slowed down." He hoped that the Turkish government
would regard his report "as a signal and an incentive to reintroduce
the vigorous speed of reform it had shown in the year before accession
negotiations started."