On Thursday 24 November, MEPs adopted a resolution by a very large majority (479 votes in favour, 37 against and 107 abstentions) calling for a temporary freeze on the EU's accession negotiations with Turkey. They had called for this freeze during a debate on Tuesday 22 March (see EUROPE 11673).
Strongly condemning the "disproportionate repressive measures" applied in Turkey since the failed military coup in July 2016, MEPs ask the European Commission and member states to start a temporary freeze of the ongoing accession negotiations with Turkey. According to Parliament's press release, "a temporary halt of the negotiations would entail that no new negotiating chapters be opened and no new initiatives be taken in relation to Turkey's EU negotiation framework". Only the Council, on the initiative of the Commission or on its own initiative, can decide to suspend the accession discussions formally, according to the EU-Turkey negotiations framework. On 14 November, Austria's Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz announced that his country would oppose the opening of new accession chapters in the coming months (see EUROPE 11667). However, the Council remains in favour of keeping all communication channels open with the Turkish authorities, opposition and civil society.
In the joint resolution of the Greens/EFA, ALDE, GUE/NGL, ECR, EPP and S&D Groups, MEPs state that they will commit to reviewing the Parliament's position once the disproportionate measures taken as part of the state of emergency in Turkey have been lifted. The Parliament will thus examine whether the rule of law and human rights have been re-established in the whole country. In MEPs' view, the time will be right to move on to this review when the state of emergency has been lifted. However, Parliament believes that restoration of the death penalty by the Turkish government should lead to official suspension of the accession process.
MEPs nevertheless reassert their commitment to Turkey remaining "anchored" to the EU and they underline the strategic importance of relations between the EU and Turkey for both parties. However, they also insist on the fact that even if Turkey is an important partner of the EU, the political resolve to cooperate should come from both parties in the partnership. Turkey is not currently showing this political resolve, MEPs regret, and the Turkish government's measures only serve to distance Turkey on its European path. MEPs also encourage the Commission, Council of Europe and Venice Commission to offer additional judicial help to the Turkish authorities.
In its mid-term evaluation report on the pre-accession instrument, the Commission will have to take account of the latest events in Turkey, the Parliament adds, which also calls on the Commission to examine the possibility of increasing support to Turkish civil society using the European instrument for democracy and human rights. Over the 2014-2020 period, the funds allocated for Turkey under the pre-accession instrument, outside cross-border cooperation, amount to just under €4.45 billion.
MEPs take advantage of their resolution to state that Turkey has not met 7 of the 72 criteria set in the roadmap on liberalisation of the visa regime, some of which are particularly important. The EU insists on the amendment of Turkey's counter-terrorism legislation. Suspending work on the updating of the customs union would have serious economic consequences for Turkey, the European Parliament adds, stating that Turkey considers updating the customs union to be important. MEPs also say they are concerned about the Turkish statements challenging the Lausanne treaty, which defines Turkey's modern-day borders.
Turkey criticises the vote. Shortly after the vote, Turkey's European Affairs Minister Ömer Çelik described the resolution as "null and void". The resolution "denotes a lack of vision and will remain very bad in history", he told press, adding that this non-binding resolution was "not to be taken seriously" (see EUROPE 11674). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)