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Southeast Europe
July 7, 2017 www.intellinews.com I Page 16
European parliament calls for suspension of membership talks with Turkey
bne IntelliNews
The European parliament adopted a resolution on a 2016 Commission report on July 6, calling for the suspension of accession talks with Turkey if the government in Ankara implements constitu- tional changes approved in a contested referen- dum in April, which granted sweeping powers to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Given the frosty relations between Ankara and Brussels and growing concerns in European capi- tals over Turkey’s human rights and the quality of its democracy, the European parliament’s decision came as no surprise. This, however, was a rather symbolic vote, because the report adopted by the parliament on Turkey’s progress towards acces- sion is non-binding. At the end of day European leaders have the final say over the bloc’s relations with Turkey.
The vote took place less than two months after Er- dogan held talks with top EU officials in Brussels. Following his visit, the EU presented Turkey with a 12-month plan to improve ties.
MEPs approved the report, penned by Turkey rap- porteur Kati Piri, by 477 votes to 64. It calls on the EU Commission and the EU national governments “to formally suspend the accession negotiations with Turkey without delay if the constitutional re- form package is implemented unchanged”.
“You cannot just sit around, wait, and talk nice with President Erdogan while you see that the situation inside Turkey is only further and further deteriorating. The EU has to speak out and that is
MEPs vote on resolution on Turkey.
what this parliament is doing,” Piri, a Dutch mem- ber of the Socialists and Democrats group, said on July 5, the day before the vote.
Mixed messages
Many European leaders, including German Chan- cellor Angela Merkel, share Piri’s concerns and criticise Turkey’s democracy and human rights records but at the same time they flatly reject the idea of ending accession talks. This is because Turkey is too valuable to them as a strategic part- ner: it keeps more than 3mn refugees from Syria inside its borders, and with its large army Ankara helps the West contain the threats posed by Is- lamic State.
“Turkey is an important partner in the fight against Islamist terror and it is in the EU's and Nato’s interests to have good relations with Anka- ra... You should not just push away such a partner, even in view of negative developments that we must address,” Merkel, who was the architect of the migrant deal signed between Turkey and the EU last year, told German media in May.
Overall, however, it appears that European lead- ers do not have a clear plan for Turkey. European politicians admit that Ankara will not be able to join the bloc for many years to come, but say that the EU should maintain close ties with Turkey in the areas of security and trade. This inconsistent approach, naturally, angers Ankara.
Turkey is upset that it has been kept in the wait- ing room for EU membership for what it sees as