Clare Daly debates EU-Turkey relations and European Parliament report

Clare Daly (The Left). – Mr President, year on year, we hear the same rhetoric about Turkey’s inability to live up to European values and standards. And yet, at the same time, we’re really happy to give them billions on a filthy deal designed to ensure that those fleeing what were often Western-provoked wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria and so on are prevented from exercising their legal right to seek asylum in Europe and kept in Turkey. And people here have criticised Erdogan for instrumentalising migrants.

Of course he can, because we fail to live up to our international responsibility. And we have the misnamed Minister for European Values, Schinas, telling us that he has a clear conscience about pushbacks from Greece into Turkey, denying the irrefutable evidence that the Greek Coast Guard are involved in what amounts to murder. Well, you know what? With values like that, I’d say Turkey fits in pretty well. And when you add their incursions again into Syrian sovereignty and undermining Syrian sovereign territory without a word from the European Union, is it any wonder that they don’t take seriously anything that the EU says?

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Turkey: persistently further from EU values and standards

Without clear and significant progress on EU-related reforms, Parliament cannot envisage resuming accession negotiations with Turkey, warned MEPs on Tuesday.

In a report adopted on Tuesday by 448 votes in favour, 67 against and 107 abstentions, MEPs warn that in spite of Turkey’s repeated statements that it aims to become an EU member, over the past two years the country has consistently gone back on its commitments in relation to the accession process.

Parliament welcomes the recent slight improvement in overall EU-Turkey relations, in particular, the high-level dialogues. This enhanced cooperation has unfortunately coexisted alongside regular conflicts, as relations with neighbouring EU member states remain challenging, stress MEPs.

The report points to the continued deterioration of the human rights situation in Turkey. MEPs regret the sustained legal and administrative pressure on civil society and human rights defenders, lawyers and journalists. They call on the Commission to provide sufficient funding for pro-democracy efforts in Turkey.

Importance of close EU-Turkey cooperation in foreign and security policy

Welcoming Turkey’s willingness to act as a mediator in the Russian war against Ukraine, MEPs stress the vital importance of good EU-Turkey cooperation in foreign and security policy in the current challenging times and thank the country for its firm alignment with NATO and the EU.

The report commends Turkey’s efforts in continuing to host the largest refugee population in the world, and notes the sustained provision of EU funding for this purpose, which MEPs commit to maintain in the future. They also support the Commission’s proposal to start negotiations to update a mutually beneficial Customs Union, but warn that Parliament would only support a final agreement if necessary democratic conditions on human rights and fundamental freedoms, respect of international law and good neighbourly relations are met.

To sum-up, Parliament cannot at this stage justify modifying its position concerning the formal suspension of the accession negotiations with Turkey, which have effectively been at a standstill since 2018, MEPs say. By openly defying the binding rulings of the European Court of Human Rights in relation to the case of Osman Kavala and others, the current Turkish Government has deliberately demolished any aspirations of reopening the EU accession process at this time, they add.

Turkish objections to Sweden and Finland’s NATO applications

MEPs call on the Turkish government to handle Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership applications in good faith, to engage constructively in efforts to solve possible outstanding issues and to refrain from exerting any undue pressure in this process. In the current serious circumstances, it is important that all NATO allies act with foresight and swiftly ratify the accession protocols of the two countries, they stress.