Proposition 55K0276

Proposition de résolution relative à la candidature de la Turquie à l'adhésion à l'Union européenne.

General information ¶

Authors

VB Steven Creyelman, Pieter De Spiegeleer, Barbara Pas, Annick Ponthier, Kurt Ravyts, Ellen Samyn, Tom Van Grieken

Submission date

Sept. 9, 2019

Official page

Visit

Status

Rejected

Requirement

Simple

Subjects

European Union Turkey accession to the European Union

Voting ¶

Voted to adopt

Groen CD&V Vooruit Ecolo LE PS | SP DéFI Open Vld MR PVDA | PTB

Voted to reject

VB

Abstained from voting

N-VA LDD

Contact form ¶

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Discussion ¶

Nov. 28, 2019 | Plenary session (Chamber of representatives)

Full source

Mr. Speaker, colleagues, I submitted my proposal for a resolution in early September and, in fact, only arguments have been raised. Had I re-written the text today, the bundle would have been a little thicker. Think of the military offensive that Turkey has been conducting in northern Syria since October 10 and in which it, euphemistically speaking, targets the Kurds.

In recent years, I have had to question the Minister of Foreign Affairs very often about the situation in Turkey. I have regularly interrogated Mr Reynders, who is still applauded today, as well as his predecessors, about crushing situations, not only about the situation of Turkish Kurds, who are the victims of large-scale government violence, but also about Erdogan’s statements, for example that women are not equal to men. According to Erdogan, women differ so strongly that they can absolutely not be placed at the level of men, which act. I have questioned the minister about the dismantling of a demonstration for women’s rights in Istanbul, about all other protests that are crushed with brutal violence. I questioned him about the fact that newspaper editions are being transformed into regime press rooms, about the fact that critical journalists in Turkey are being legally prosecuted. Nowhere in the world there are as many journalists and persons imprisoned for their opinions as in Turkey. I interviewed the minister about the censorship and blocking of social media websites and more, as well as all cases of restriction of the freedom of expression in Turkey. Every year I re-interrogated him on the progress report of the European Commission, which in practice always turned out to be a recession report.

Again and again, no appropriate conclusion was linked to it, by no foreign minister I have questioned about it. They shared the concern and they were worried. It has become a kind of permanent state of concern. All of these things, by the way, did not prevent the previous government from closing another piece of blackmail with the figure of Erdogan.

The parties to the Michel government agreed in 2016 on the principle of reviving and even accelerating negotiations with Turkey. At that time, there were no signs in an agreement that wanted to speed up Turkey’s accession. In 2015, Erdogan was incorporated into the Leopolds Order by the government-Michel.

It came after a failed coup in Turkey. Erdogan was very involved in the repression and cleansing operations. It was only when the European Union criticized it that one dared to criticize in Belgium as well. Ultimately, that criticism was rightly thrown into a resolution that was approved in the plenary session of 16 February 2017. It called – a very good thing – to temporarily freeze accession negotiations with Turkey, given the fact that billions of aid have already been granted to Turkey in the so-called pre-negotiation phase. This should have happened for a long time. We then abstained from voting on that resolution because it did not go far enough for us. A freezing is one thing, but I will give you a few arguments why the negotiations for us should be definitively stopped.

I have added a number of arguments to my draft resolution, which are not at all reflected in the resolution adopted in the House two years ago. Turkey denies the Armenian genocide and refuses to recognize Cyprus. Remember, you find them all back in the majority of my resolution, which the N-VA colleagues, who say they want to end the accession negotiations with Turkey, did not want to support in the committee, because it "was not diplomatically sufficiently formulated". I quote it because you have not received a report because the N-VA rapporteur is absent. I have made another attempt to know which passage it was about and which words were not diplomatically enough, because of course I am always willing to proceed to amendment, if that can be approved a draft resolution, but I have received no answer to any of my questions.

In an attempt to persuade you not to reject my proposal in the future, I give you the arguments why the accession negotiations with Turkey should be definitively stopped.

What I have noticed in various sides, both in the discussion of the resolution adopted here in 2017 and in the discussion of this proposal, is that the whole discussion on Turkey’s accession to the European Union is aimed at reducing it to the question of whether Turkey meets the Copenhagen criteria. It is said that the country must be a stable democracy, that there is respect for human rights, that it has a well-functioning market economy and that it takes over European laws and regulations. That is exactly the discussion we conducted in 2017. This is also the position that Goedele Liekens proclaimed on behalf of Open Vld in the committee. If all these things are in order, Turkey will have a different government. Take Erdogan away and put another government there and then Turkey for Open Fld can perfectly join the European Union.

Well, colleagues, there is something like Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union. It states clearly that EU membership is reserved for European countries. Of course, the European Union is not open to all countries that meet the criteria. Tomorrow we can also add Japan, Australia and South Korea.

97% of Turkey is not geographically in Europe. Turkey has historically never belonged to the European civilization, except as a cruel occupier. Turkey does not meet any criteria. Turkey is also Islamic, with 80 million inhabitants, who can then freely flood our continent.

Colleagues, we are not in favor of such a Turkey ever becoming a member of the European Union. Turkey has been a candidate country since 1987. With my proposal, you can finally, after 32 years, end it. You can ensure that the accession negotiations, at least for our country, are permanently stopped.

I consistently count on your support.