During a debate on Turkey on Wednesday 26 April, MEPs said they would like the European Union to review its relationship with Turkey, leaving the EU accession negotiations to one side and underscoring the customs union and support to civil society.
"Turkey is not ready to join, but rejecting it is not a solution", said Syed Kamall (ECR, UK), adding that a new relationship should be sought "which needs a hoard of diplomacy, but a more honest relationship, based on cooperation and not on the distant objective of accession any more". "The candidacy [for accession] should be blocked and real support to civil society should be sent, maybe using the customs union lever", suggested Fabio Massimo Castaldo (EFDD, Italy).
In the view of EPP Group leader Manfred Weber (Germany), Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan "is closing the door to a partnership with the EU". "Turkey is embarking on an erroneous path (...) It is no longer realistic to think that Turkey will become a member of the EU (...) This wild dream needs to be stopped and a discussion on funding should be conducted", he said. Weber thus suggested "putting an end to the discussion on accession and embarking on a new chapter of sectoral cooperation", especially in counter-terrorism and the customs union.
ALDE was of a similar opinion. "It is essential to commit to new cooperation", said Guy Verhofstadt (Belgium). He noted that the negotiations were de facto on ice, although the EU grants Ankara millions of euro in in pre-accession funding every year (€636.4 million for 2017). "Our position would be to review things and why not have a new association agreement with an economic chapter, a customs union even greater than the one currently planned?", Verhofstadt said, adding that Turkey needed to open up to civil society.
In the opinion of Kati Piri (S&D, Netherlands), the European Parliament rapporteur on Turkey, sectoral cooperation should not take place to the detriment of democracy and human rights. "It is important to use the EU's economic power to put pressure on for political reforms in the country", she said. With thousands of people in Turkey sharing the EU's values, it is important not "to drop Turkey as a candidate country once and for all", she added. Ska Keller (Greens/EFA, Germany) also underlined the need to support those who are opposed to Erdoğan. "The EU must use all means possible to help the people: there is a very important tool – the customs union. It is important to use this instrument and improve it, but not now. It is important to wait for a substantial improvement in terms of human rights", she said. In Keller's view, stopping the accession negotiations would be a "swift" method but this does not mean it would be an" effective" method. On behalf of GUE, Martina Michels (Germany) also called for greater EU support to Turkish civil society.
European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn again highlighted the need for a new partnership with Ankara (see EUROPE 11774). "The time has come for an open and friendly discussion on the future of our relationship", he said, adding: "I would like us to keep a cool head and to maintain a format that would enable us to work with Turkey in different areas of common interest. This would give us the possibility of bringing progress to democracy and fundamental rights".
In Hahn's view, the informal foreign affairs meeting in Valletta, Malta, on Friday 28 April, which will be attended, in part, by Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, could be an opportunity for doing this (see other article).
Can Dündar calls for support to democracy
Earlier in the day, at the European Economic and Social Committee, Turkish journalist Can Dündar called on the EU to support democracy in Turkey. "Europe may need Turkey, but if it attaches still greater importance to the freedom of thought and to the press, it should support the Turkish people. Europe should not abandon its values in the interest of short-term benefits or goals", he warned. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)