CoE decided full Monitoring on Turkey (with EU effects)

*Stasbourg/CoE/Angelo Marcopolo/- In a Decision which should normaly have Important Consequences on EU - Turkey's controversial, UnPopular and Costly "Accession" claims, CoE's Assembly has just asked to submit Ankara to a Full Monitoring on Human Rights Violations and problems for Democracy and Rule of Law.

Such a Return Back to Full CoE's Monitoring on Human Rights Violations and serious Problems related to Democracy and Rule of Law, practicaly means tha Turkey's recent Situation clearly does Not Meet EU's "Copenhagen Criteria", which are Necessary for any eventual Candidate wishing to seek a place in EU's Enlargement process. I.e, something which can make the Lucrative Annual EU Funding (in full Grants and various Loans) earmarked for Turkey, (which currently Costs several Billions € per Year) to become Unjustified, since the Lack of one among its Key Conditions becomes now obvious.

 Already, Back since the Beginning of 2004, a Turkish lobby had exerted a Heavy Pressure in order to get a CoE's Decision to Cease Monitoring Ankara, so that EU -Turkey "Accession" Negociations can Start from 2005, soon Costing about 1 Billion € in full Grants each Year, added to almost 4 to 5 Billions € in Loans, which Persisted even during the Economic and Financial Crisis, (in Addition to the Blockade of EU "Constitution"'s Draft, by 3 "No" to 2005-2007 Referenda, because of "Hot" Popular reactions, up to "BREXIT"'s 2016 Debates, as well as recently Fueling "EuroScepticism" accross the EU, etc).

Now, PanEuropean CoE Assembly's Move in Strasbourg comes just 1 Day Before EU Parliament's "Mini" Session in Brussels holds another Turkey debate, Tomorrow, Wednesday, April 26., and while EU Commission is, reportedly, Examining to "ReConsider" EU - Turkey's Relationship, in view also of recent developments, as EU Commissioner respônsible for Enlargement and Good Neighborhood relations, Johannes Hahn from Aistria reportedly said earlier this week, shortly Before EU Foreign Ministers discuss the Future of EU - Turkey relations, (and eventually a Change of their format) in Malta on Friday. 

Not Only a 100% Turkish Attempt to entirely "Delete" the relevan Crucial Paragraph, in CoE Assembly's Report about "the Functioning of Democratic Institutions in Turkeyt", Drafted by Norwegian Conservative MEP Ingebjord Godskesen and Estonian Socialist MEP Marianne Mikko, but even a Turkish Lobby's Attempt to Postpone such Decisions for 1 more Year (2018), as also a Few Other MEPs from Azerbaijan, UK and pro-Kiev Ukraine asked, were Strongly Rejected by a Big Absolute Majority of MEPs in Strasbourg this Noon. 

   - Experienced Austrian  MEP Stefan Schennach, former President of PACE's Monitoring Committee and current President of its Committee on Conflicts between CoE Member States, Reminded that, already, a Similar Draft Resolution on Re-Starting Monitoring Turkey had been Tabled 1 Year ago, and Postponed several Times, because Ankara always Asked for More Time : - Are we going to anew Postpone, again and again ?, he Wondered. We have already done so, but it only made things Worse !. In fact, the Right Time is Now :", he urged. 

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The Resolution Adopted by the Plenary of CoE's Assembly also expects from Turkey, among others, "as a matter of Priority", particularly to Stop "the Collective Dismissal of Civil Servants", and to "Release All" the Detained or Imprisoned Parliamentarians and Journalists pending trial.

 Ankara Government's recent "DisProportionate Measures" include, inter alia, also :  "150.000 Civil Servants, Military Officers, Judges, Teachers and Academics Dismissed. 100.000 Individuals Prosecuted and 40.000 of them Detained", as CoE's Resolution Denounces.

 This Turkey Debate is the Main Highlight of CoE Assembly's Plenary Session for Spring 2017, this Week in Strasbourg, where also the Heads of State from Greece and Spain, President Pavlopoulos and the Spanish King, respectively, are expected to Address the PanEuropean Organisation's MEPs on Wednesday and Thursday.

Significantly, even these 2 European Countries had, notoriously, Faced various Problems about Democracy in the Past, (f.ex. during the 1967-1974 "Colonels" regime in Athens, and the earlier Franco regime in Madrid), resulting in a "Special" Treatment by EU and CoE then, Before they Succeded, Later-on, to Overcome that situation and Establish clearly Democratic Institutions with an acceptable Legal mechanism for Human Rights respect, Concluding, Finaly, to a Normal Status in their relations with both European and Paneuropeaan Organisations until Today.


But such a Greek and Spanish RoadMap towards European Integration, passed through Real and Serious pro-Democratic and pro-Human Rights Changes, that the nowadays Turkish regime might, eventualy, not be yet Ready to realy make.

  Headquartered in Strasbourg, CoE is the Paneuropean Organisation of 47 Member States (including Russia, etc), whose main Mandate is for Human Rights, Democracy, and Rule of Law, particularly since its Heads of State/Government Summit in Warsaw (Poland) on 2004. 

EU should take into account CoE's Findings especialy in Human Rights' issues, stressed a landmark Report on EU - CoE Cooperation in a New PanEuropean Architecture drafted by Jean-Claude Juncker, Experienced former Long-Time Prime Minister of Luxembourg and Chairman of €uro-Group, on the Official Demand of that Warsaw CoE Summit, alreadey as early as since 2006-2009, before Juncker is Elected as EU Commission's President for the current, 2014-2019 Period.
 

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(NDLR : Draft NewsReport Due to be progressively Completed and UpDated asap).

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