On Thursday 13 February, the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning the dismissal and arrest of several opposition mayors in Turkey, notably from the pro-Kurdish party.
Proposed jointly by six political groups (The Left, Greens/EFA, Renew Europe, S&D, EPP and ECR), the text was voted on by a show of hands. It calls on Ankara to respect the rule of law and reinstate democratically elected mayors.
“Since 2016, 149 mayors have been dismissed and replaced by trustees appointed by the government”, pointed out French MEP Mélissa Camara (Greens/EFA) during the preliminary debate on Wednesday 12 February. The situation raises “major concerns about the state of democracy in Turkey”, added Reinhold Lopatka (EPP, Austrian).
Several MEPs called for tough measures “against Turkish officials assuming the role of trustee and those appointing them”, as stated in the resolution. “We have the necessary tools within the EU and the time has come to introduce sanctions against Turkey”, said Vladimir Prebilič (Greens/EFA, Slovenian).
Concluding the debate, Glenn Micallef, European Commissioner for Intergenerational Equity, Youth, Culture and Sport, reminded the audience that “human rights are non-negotiable” and that “the proper functioning of local democracies, in accordance with the recommendations of the Venice Commission”, remains a sine qua non condition for potential European enlargement. He gave assurances that the situation would be closely monitored, notably via the EU delegation in Ankara.
The joint resolution: https://aeur.eu/f/fhi (Original version in French by Justine Manaud)