On Monday 13 March, the European Union called on Turkey to avoid making excessive statements in its stand-off with several member states over the weekend, including the Netherlands, which refused to allow Turkish ministers on its territory to attend support meetings for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, ahead of a referendum to change the Turkish Constitution. Erdogan described these decisions as Nazi practices and threatened to make the Dutch authorities pay for their attitude.
“The European Union calls on Turkey to refrain from excessive statements and actions that risk further exacerbating the situation”, the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, and the Commissioner for Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, stated in a joint press release. They stress that “matters of concern can only be resolved through open and direct communication channels”. “It is essential to avoid further escalation and find ways to calm down the situation”, they add. Mogherini and Hahn stress that decisions regarding meetings to be held in the member states were a matter for these states, “in accordance with the applicable provisions of international and national law”.
Over the weekend, Mogherini, the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, and the Vice-President, Frans Timmermans, held talks with the Turkish and Dutch authorities, according to Commission spokesperson Margaritis Schinas.
In their joint press release, the High Representative and the Commissioner also raised the underlying question of the planned constitutional revision, stating that they had taken note of the opinion of the Venice Commission on the amendments adopted by the Turkish national Grand Assembly on 21 January 2017 and put for referendum (see other article). “The Venice Commission's comments on the proposed Constitutional amendments raise serious concerns at the excessive concentration of powers in one office, with serious effect on the necessary checks and balances and on the independence of the judiciary”, Mogherini and Hahn state, adding that it was also a matter of concern that this process of constitutional change is taking place in a state of emergency. “We encourage Turkey to pursue and further deepen its close cooperation with the Council of Europe and its bodies, and to address their concerns and recommendations”, they add. The High Representative and the Commissioner warned that if approved in the referendum of 16 April, the amendments, “and especially their practical implementation”, would be assessed in light of Turkey's obligations as an EU candidate country and as a member of the Council of Europe. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)