Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-04-01-Speech-4-011"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2004-04-01"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Progress towards accession by Turkey2
dcterms:Language	"en"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20040401.2.4-011"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2004-04-01-Speech-4-0122
lpv:speaker	lp:Geoffrey Van Orden2
lpv:spoken text	"Mr President, the Turkish Government has moved at astonishing speed to fulfil the European Union's political criteria so that the right decision can be taken in December for accession negotiations to be opened. We should recognise this and congratulate the Turkish authorities. In a very difficult international situation and in spite of terrorist atrocities in Istanbul, there has been a firm commitment to domestic change. Yet some might think that every time Turkey makes progress in a particular direction, the goalposts for European Union membership are moved. In its report a year ago, Parliament sent out an unduly negative message to Turkey and failed to recognise the scale of positive developments that had taken place in the preceding 12 months. This year's report is more balanced, but it still sends a lukewarm message. A number of the amendments tabled seek to reverse the decisions firstly of the 1997 Luxembourg European Council confirming that Turkey will be judged on the basis of the same criteria as the other applicant states, and secondly of the Helsinki European Council in 1999, which recognised Turkey's status as a fully-fledged candidate country. It is no longer right to speak of Turkey's possible accession to the European Union. Turkey's destiny is clear: in due course it will be a member. I hope, however, that by that time and by the time many of the young people in the public gallery here – including young people from St Martin's School in Brentwood, in my constituency – are firmly established in their professions, the European Union itself will have moved away from its obsession with political integration, into a somewhat looser community of nation states. Many of us are working with that in mind. The Cyprus question has been quite correctly mentioned. This was made a factor in Turkey's own EU candidacy – some might think wrongly so. However, all being well, what was a negative factor will soon have the reverse effect. Last night the Secretary-General of the United Nations put forward his final plan for overcoming the divisions of Cyprus. For too long international opinion has been distorted on this issue and the Turkish Cypriots have not had a fair hearing. The Turkish authorities in particular have worked hard to obtain a just settlement that offers the prospect of peace and security. I believe that what is now on the table will be welcomed by the people of Cyprus and I hope that they will give a positive vote in the referendum on 24 April. Finally, there is much to be done to bring about reform in Turkey, in particular in terms of human rights. However, much of what is being achieved could be thrown into reverse if a negative decision is taken in December. Mr Oostlander's message is still profoundly negative. I want to send a signal of positive encouragement."@en1
lpv:spokenAs	substitute; Delegation to the EU-Hungary Joint Parliamentary Committee (2002-03-13--2004-04-30)3 substitute; Temporary committee on improving safety at sea (2003-11-20--2004-04-21)3 member; EPP-ED (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 vice-chair; Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy (2002-01-22--2004-07-19)3 substitute; Committee on Regional Policy, Transport and Tourism (2002-01-17--2004-07-19)3 unknown; Conservative and Unionist Party (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 member; Delegation to the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee (2002-02-07--2004-07-19)3
lpv:unclassifiedMetadata	"Van Orden (PPE-DE )."1

Named graphs describing this resource:

The resource appears as object in 2 triples

Context graph