Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-12-13-Speech-1-058"
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"en.20041213.10.1-058"2
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".
Mr President, when I was given the responsibility of acting as rapporteur on EU-Turkey relations, I decided, while focusing on content, to write a fact-based report that would be fair and balanced. Apart from the Commission’s study and other reports, I have also based my findings on my frequent visits to Turkey. Over the past few months, since the beginning of October in fact, I have spent more than two weeks in that country.
First of all, as the Commission has also mentioned, there is a real need for amendment of a number of laws and the adoption of some new ones. I know that Turkey is in the process of doing just that. Secondly, monitoring by the Commission must be fully underway. Thirdly – and this is crucial to us and also to me as rapporteur – it must be made clear beyond any doubt that when negotiations are opened, the emphasis in the first stage of those negotiations will be on further fulfilling the political criteria in law, but also in practice.
I have made every effort to arrive at a level of cooperation in Parliament in which this balance is struck in a constructive, yet critical, manner. I would ask all groups who have taken part in this to remain faithful to those compromises, even in this last, plenary, discussion. Let me say as rapporteur, as I have also done in the report, that it is now up to Turkey to prove whether it can come up with the goods and whether, with further changes in the areas of human rights, religious freedom, women’s rights, it can really achieve the standard that is necessary for EU membership. It is now up to Turkey; the ball is in their court. Whatever happens, we must anchor down the fact that cooperation between Turkey and the European Union will be very solid in future. The report leaves no doubt in that respect. In my view, what we should do now is to give a strong message to Turkey to seize that opportunity.
Turkey is being given this real opportunity, but we in this House must also send a clear message about our own relevance as Parliament, by checking in the years that lie ahead whether Turkey makes real progress and whether it does so to a sufficient extent. The European Parliament must encourage Turkey in this. I think that that is very important and that is why I hope that this report will, by the end of this week, turn out not only to receive the broad support of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, but also of this plenary of the European Parliament.
Let me tell you that I am impressed with the reforms that Turkey has carried out. More has happened over the past few years than in the four decades previous to those. In my report, I refer to Parliament’s support in this, but the public’s continued support for those changes are also decidedly impressive and worthy of congratulation. At the same time, I have also become convinced – and have said so in my report – that more reforms are yet to follow and to be implemented. Moreover, the present reforms must be implemented more effectively in order for Turkey to fully meet the political criteria. Allow me, based on the positive remarks, to mention a number of areas in which a great deal is yet to be done.
First of all, human rights. In legislation, the government has made much progress in this field. Along with the Commission, the Council of Europe and all human rights organisations barring one, I too am of the opinion that there is no systematic torture in Turkey, but discussion as to whether it is systematic or not misses the real issue that is before us, which is that approximately one hundred cases of torture, reported by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other organisations, committed in police cells are far too many – one hundred too many for a country that really wants to grow towards Europe. That is why this report devotes much attention to this issue. An independent inspectorate, working together with NGOs and able to make random visits to police stations, must be set up . In addition, it must be emphasised that it should become the practice for each reported case of human rights violation in police cells to be brought before the courts immediately.
Then there is religious freedom, an area in which there are still many problems, and in which not a great deal of progress has been made. The Alevites, accounting for more than 30% of the population, are not fully recognised. Religious minorities have problems related to property rights, to training for their priests, monks and clergy, but also, quite simply, to do with the recognition that they share in this Turkish identity. I think there is a real need here for change, or as Mr Ali Birand, a well-known journalist of CNN Turk, put it last week: ‘Let Turkey become proud, also about those religious minorities, instead of holding them back’. The report makes clear statements about the necessary progress in religious freedom.
A third point concerns women’s rights. As with human rights, a great deal has improved in the area of women’s rights, except that practice is in some ways far less promising, with forced marriages and crimes carried out to avenge honour, even including honour killings. Turkey must, as a matter of urgency, invest in combating illiteracy among women and educating them more effectively, and NGOs offering those female victims shelter must be given strong back-up. The report is quite clear about that too.
I have another three points to make. Turkey has made many constitutional adjustments, but the Constitution itself dates back to a military era. That is why, I think, it is important to state in this report that if Turkey really wishes to grow much further, we would advise it to draft a new Constitution.
I would now like to turn to the sensitive issue of Armenia. In this respect, the report proposes setting up a bilateral committee of Armenian and Turkish experts to catalogue all the historical facts. Furthermore, the borders with Armenia should be re-opened in order to bring about new relations in an atmosphere in which the wounds of the past can truly heal.
Last but not least, Cyprus. I think that the report is abundantly clear about the recognition of Cyprus, about withdrawal of troops and about a push for fresh negotiations in a bid to achieve lasting peace and the island’s reunification.
The report that is before you is constructive, but not naive, in my view. Although it is realistic, it is also critical where necessary. According to the report, the negotiations can be opened without any unnecessary delays subject to three conditions."@en1
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