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Home arrow newsitems arrow EUParliament Resolution to Suspend Turkey's EU bid, Freeze Funds, Hides Incoming Stronger Reaction..

EUParliament Resolution to Suspend Turkey's EU bid, Freeze Funds, Hides Incoming Stronger Reaction..

Written by ACM
Wednesday, 13 March 2019

eu_parliament_voing_on_suspending_or_ending_turkeys_eu_bid_ebseurofora_screenshot_400
 
*Strasbourg/EU Parliament/Angelo Marcopolo/- EU Parliament's 2019 Resolution on Turkey's controversial and unpopular EU bid, which asks to Suspend EU Accession Negotiations, Freeze EU Funds to the Turkish State, use Independent International Monitoring on serious Human Rights' Abuses, Halt plans for a Nuclear plant near Cyprus, Start Withdrawing Occupation Troops from the Island, Stop Altering its Population's Demography, and Respect EU Member Cyprus' Sovereign Right to search and exploit its Energy Resources, (etc), even if it was adopted by 370 Votes against 109, shortly before the May 2019 EU Elections, in fact, Hides an incoming, much Stronger Reaction by Wider Political Forces due to Surf at the Top of a New Majority of MEPs during the forthcoming period of 2019-2024.

It's already an UnPrecedended Fact for EU Parliament to ask, particularly, to "Suspend .. Accession Negotiations with Turkey", and ReOrientate "the Funds currently allocated ... for Pre-Accession Assistance", instead, "to support ...Civil Society, human rights Defenders and Journalists" of the Country, in a way "directly Managed by the EU", (Not the Turkish State), "with the Objective of protecting and promoting Democratic values and principles, Human rights, and the rule of Law", for a Future "Partnership" "between Turkey ad the EU", "built on Conditionality" based on such Principles, (etc).

But it's also a Fact that an exceptionaly Big Number of important MEPs Voted, instead, to ..."TERMINATE" Turkey's "Accession Negotiations" for ever, (207 Votes), or Abstained (67 Votes), Instead of Limiting today's Sanction Only to a Mere, Precarious "Suspension", (which was supported Only by a ...Minority of MEPs : 342 out of a Total of 751, since Many More prefered to simply Walk Away) !

    The Most Important Fact is that, Already, among those, More Critical MEPs (apparently around 300), are Included a lot of Very Important European Personalities and Big Countries, surprisingly Spreading along almost All the Political Spectrum, from Right to the Left, as well as, particularly, those Political Forces which (according to most current Polls) are Expected to Grow and probably Win a PreDominant Role in the New EU Parliament of 2019-2024 just after the European Elections of May...

Indeed, f.ex., it's mainly the Biggest Group of MEPs, that of ChristianDemocrats/EPP, followed by Rightists, several Centrists/Liberals, and even some of the Left, who Voted to put, at last, a full and definite END to Turkey's controversial and unpopular EU bid.  

Among those, More Critical MEPs, are Included almost All French MEPs of the Mainstream Center-Right, (f.ex. former Ministers Alliot-Marie, Hortefeux, Lamassoure, Morano, etc, Experienced MEPs Francoise Grossetete, EPP vice-President, and Morin-Chartier, the Gaullist Cadec, Strasbourg's Sander, etc).

    Most Important : EPP's "Spitzen Candidate" to the 2019 Elections, currently Leading for the post of New EU Commission's President : Manfred Weber from Germany, as well as many other Top German MEPs, as, f.ex., the President of EU Parliament's Foreign Affaits Committee, McAlistair, Angelica Niebler from Bavaria, Renate Sommer, Marcus Feber, vice-President of Budget's Committee Monika Hohlmeier, President of EU Delegation to the pan-African Parliament Michael Gahler, Werner Langen, Andreas Schwab, BioEthical Expert Dr. Peter Liese, etc.Together with Experienced Austrian "Heavy-weight" Paul Rübig, and the Young New President of "PanEuropa" Working Group Lukas Mandl, Long-term MEP Caras, (etc).

Followed also by Italian mainstream Experienced MEP Giovani La Via, as well as EU Parliament's new Rapporteur on Space policy Massimiliano Salini (etc), from former Prime Minister Berlusconi's "Forza Italia", (who has Recently fully returned Back to Political Business, and may be even in EU Parliament).

Added to Polish EPP MEP Jaroslaw WALESA, son of Historic former President Lech Walesa, and Jaroslaw Kalinowski, etc., (close to EU Council's President Donald Tusk). Followed by former vice-President of the Governing "Law and Order" Polish Party, and former Minister of Culture, Kazimierz Ujazdovski, currently Non-Aligned (NI).

+ Also "Liberal" German MEPs, such as Wolf Klinz, Gesine Meissner, etc, as well as many French Liberals as the President of EU Parliament's Budgets' Committee Arthuis, the Famous former Journalist Jean-Marie Cavada, the President of Anti-Terrorism Committee Mrs Griesbeck from nearby Lorraine, former Foreign Minister of Estonia Urmas Paet, the President of the Conference of Committees' Chairmen, Swedish Liberal MEP Cecilia Wikstrom, etc,   (concerning a Political Group that New French President Emmanuel Macron's future MEPs are probably expected to join).

+ About 30 MEPs from the EFDD Group were added, including EU Parliament's vice-President Castaldo from the Governing in Italy "5 Stars" Movement, as well as several EFDD's Brittish Leader Nigel Farage's (New Head of "BREXIT Party) faithful as UK's Jonathan Bullock, Bill Etheridge, David Coburn, etc., (who might Stay MEPs even Longer, if the BREXIT is Postponed or droped).

++ Also 17 MEPs from the Conservatives/Reformists' Group ECR, including its vice-President Helga Stevens from Belgium, Experienced vice-President of EU - Israel Delegation Bas Belder from the Netherlands, Cyprus' Governing Coalition MEP and Head of "Solidarity" new Party Helen Theocharous, Greece's Marias, Germany's Lucke (former Founder of AfD), Kristina Winberg from the Recently Growing Party of "Swedish Democrats" (New Rightists), etc. +Moreover, Most Brittish Conservative MEPs (as, f.ex.,, vice-President Syed Kamal, Ashley Fox, Experienced Tannock, etc) preferred to Vote "Abstention", Refusing a mere Suspension of Turkey's unpopular EU bid.

+++ Followed another 28 MEPs from the Rightist Group "ENF" founded by Marine le Pen, and led by its President Nicolas Bay from France, but including also Mihal Marusik from Poland, Pretzel from Germany, Obermayr and others from the co-Governing Austrian "Freedom" Party, as well as Borghezio, Marco Zanni, Oscar Lancini etc., from the co-Governing Italian "Lega" party, etc.

    Added to "Independent" MEPs from the 3rd Party of Greece : that of "Golden Dawn"s controversial Rightists, as Army General Epitideios, former NATO Senior Official in Brussels, and MEP Fountoulis, (Father of a Murdered Son, notoriously shot Dead by a Gunman who Killed also anOther Victim and seriously Wounded a third one, simple Guardians of the same Party, in a scandalously UnPunished yet Crime committed Back on 2013, i.e. nearly 6 Years now).

++++ But, there are also some "Socialist" MEPs, such as the vice-President of the SocialDemocrat Group Jeppe Kofod, from Denmark, followed by Christel Schaldemose and Ole Christensen (also Danish), as well as Cyprus' MEP Mavrides, etc.

    +++++ Even "Green" MEPs, including the vice-President of EU Parliament's Culture and Education Committee Helga Trupel from Germany, Andras Tarand from Estponia, etc., (while the vice-President of EU's Delegation to Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo, Austrian MEP Thomas Waitz, prefered to "Abstain", Refusing to vote a mere "Suspension" of Turkey's controversial and unpopular EU bid).

++++++ Surprisingly, it's even  ..."LEFT"'s MEPs, as the vice-President of the Group, Denis de Jong, Dutch MEPs Anja Hazecamp and Anne-Marie Mineur, Bureau Member Nicos Chountis from Greece (formerly Member of Prime Minister Tsipras' Governing Party), Luke Flanagan from Ireland, Javier Couso Permuy from Spain, (etc). To whom were Added even Communist Greek MEPs Zarianopoulos and Papadakis, etc.

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    + In Addition, perhaps the Most Important Fact is also a New Political Dynamic, related to the forthcoming 2019 EU Elections, which appears in Today's Votes :

- Indeed, the "Socialist" Group, which supported, More than any others, the controversial Limitation of EU's Sanctions to Turkey Only in a mere Precaious "Suspension" of its "Accession" Talks (Comp. Supra), is notoriously Expected to suffer the ...Worst Loses of its former MEPs, according to most Polls, which Warn for a Heavy Reduction of the Number of "Socialist" MEPs, Falling quite Low in the New EU Parliament due to result from the May 2019 Elections.

- On the Contrary, the Christianemocrats/EPP Group, which officially Asked to put an "End" to Turkey's controversial and unpopular EU bid, even if it might be slightly reduced too, on the Contrary, is Expected to Remain the Biggest in EU Parliament.

- Meanwhile, if the Brittish MEPs Remain in EU Parliament, in case of a Long Postponement or Abandon of the "BREXIT", given the Fact that Most of Farage's followers at the EFDD Group voted for the Heaviest Sanction of "Terminating" Turkey's unpopular EU bid, while Many "Conservatives" prefered to "Abstain", Refusing to endorse a Too "Soft" Sanction of a mere, precarious "Suspension", (Comp. Supra), it's obvious that Turkey wouldn't have Nothing to Expect from them, no more, in this matter. Former Conservative UK Prime Minister David Cameron's notorious remark, during the "BREXIT" Referendum Campain, that Turkey would Not Enter in the EU, Not even on 2033 (sic !), obviously Left unforgetable Marks...

    >>> More Important : German "Spitzen Kandidat" of ChristianbDemocrat/EPP Group, Manfred Weber, looks firmly Anchored, now, in favor of putting an "END" to Turkey's controversial and unpopular EU bid, and this seems to be Also the case for German "Liberal" MEPs, (Comp. Supra), as well as, naturally, for the Fast-Growing recently "AfD" Party of the Rightists, (and even from some German "Greens" : Comp. Supra).

++ At the same time, Today's Vote Revealed an unexpected ..."Unity" of France's Centrist, mainstream Right, and Rightist MEPs, (together with the "Absention" of some important French Leftists, as Miss Vergiat, etc), as far as it concerns the "Termination" of Turkey's EU bid, as the Votes of most "Liberals", "Republicans", and "Nationalist" French MEPs clearly showed, (Comp. Supra).

+++ Moreover, the Recent Electoral Victory of the "Swedish Democrats"' Rightist Party, as well as the Fact that also Mainstream "Conservatives" in Belgium, and Even ..."Socialists" in Denmark, added even to ..."Leftists" in the Netherlands, and "Greens" in Austria (where the Governing Coalition of EPP and "Freedom" Party's Rightists does not leave any Illusion to Ankara) Voted to "End" Turkey's unpopular EU bid, obviously Augment a current Trend Against Laxism in EU Enlargement policy.

    ++++ Even More Important, probably Decisive : In Italy, both the New Governing Majority Coalition of "5 STARS"' Movement, and "LEGA" Party, (which currently ..."Explodes" in Recent Polls, pointing Upwards to the 1st Rank), as well as Berlusconi's Mainstream Center-Right, inside EU Parliament's Political Groups of "EFDD", "ENF", and "EPP", respectively, clearly Proved another New Joint Trend towards "Terminating" Turkey's controversial and unpopular EU bid, (Perceptible also among Most Polish MEPs of the Center-Right), (Comp. Supra).

=> Consequence : Taken All Together, those Various but Spectacularly Converging Recent Facts, obviously Reveal a New Trend, in a Growing Majority of EU's People, towards, at last, Definitively Saving Europe from that UnDemocratic and Heavy Burden, that an Error committed on 1999-2000 had thrown over their Lives, Society and Future, notoriously Damaging any "European Dream" until now.

 The forthcoming, May 2019 EU Elections, are obviously a crucial Chance for European People to Transform this Growing New Trend into a tangible and Stable New Reality from 2019-2024, opening a Positive Horizon.

 

 

(../..)

 

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People in Europe and the World expect from CoE to make a succes of its "Monitoring" for Human Rights and Democracy, despite difficulties, said Finland's President Tarja Halonen to "EuroFora" at a crucial moment for the mecanism built 15 years ago by the paneuropean organization which celebrates its 60th Anniversary in 2009.

Halonen, known as "Mother" of CoE's "Monitoring" mecanism, a long-time MEP and former Foreign Minister before becoming Finland's President, holds a long experience in the mattter, after also serving twice as CoE and EU Chairwoman in the past. That's why she is well placed to judge how CoE's "monitoring" should deal today with some crucial issues of importance both to CoE and to the EU.

The move came just a Month before a crucial, last visit to Turkey, scheduled for June, by the President of CoE''s "Monitoring" Committee, Ukranian MEP Serge Holovaty, to finalize his Report on Ankara, the CoE Member State with the longest Monitoring procedure. From its results depends its overall credibility.

This is a Test-case, because, in fact, it's in order to avoid Sanctions threatened against Turkey by a CoE's Assembly's April 1995 Resolution for grave Human Rights violations, Democracy gaps, the continuing Military Occupation in Cyprus, the unresolved Kurdish problem, Aegean differend with Greece, etc., that MEPs decided to create, for the 1st time on April 1996, a "Monitoring" proces, allegedly destinated to check, without excluding Countries who did not fulfill all CoE's standards.

In the Past, the obliged withdrawal of Greece's Military regime and of its "Civil" cover-up out of the CoE had helped bring back Democracy in 1974. But, on the contrary, since April 1996, the idea was to "monitor" Human Rights' respect while keeping most concerned Countries inside the CoE. After Turkey's oldest example, this was extended also to several former "Eastern" European Countries, even if CoE's Assembly has imposed to some of them (fex. Ukraine, Russia, etc., after Belarus, Serbia, etc) various "Sanctions", that Ankara always avoided. Curiously more succesful even than .. USA itself, (a CoE "Observer" since 1995), which has been at least threatened with sanctions some years ago..

EU-effects of CoE's Monitoring process became obvious between 2001-2008, since the "closure" of this procedure, when CoE felt that a Country had met most of its Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law obligations, (i.e. the "Copenhagen Criteria" for the EU), helped trigger Negotiations with the EU for "Accession" or other closer relations : This occured already before the 2004 and 2007 EU Enlargements to former "Eastern" European Countries, as well as for the commencement of "accession" negotiations with Croatia, and of "open-ended" negotiations with Turkey in 2005.

    But a stricking new development are Holovaty's recent findings that on core Human Rights issues as Torture and Freedom of Expression, Turkey, even "5 Years after" CoE closed its "Monitoring", back in 2004, inciting EU to start accession Negotiations in 2005, still presents grave problems.

    His findings are of crucial importance after a 2008 CoE Resolution called, "if need be", to "seriously consider the possibility of Re-Opening the Monitoring procedure for Turkey" : A move which might affect Ankara's controversial EU bid, since EU Accession Negotiations are based on the Hypothesis that the Candidate fullfils the "Copenhagen Criteria" (See above)..
-------------------------
    Holovaty expressed his will to check  "Matters still Outstanding" and  those that he "didn't have an opportunity to discuss" at an earlier visit this year, "in order to discuss the more complex issues in greater depth", at his forthcoming New Visit to Ankara, before the December 2009 EU Summit.  This is all based on the 2004 CoE Resolution which stresses that, CoE "will continue.. post-monitoring Dialogue with the Turkish authorities,...in addition to a 12-points list,..and on any Other Matter that might arise in connection with Turkey’s Obligations as a CoE member state".

    CoE's Resolution also asks  from Turkey "to secure the proper Implementation of Judgements, particularly in the Cyprus v. Turkey InterState case", of 2001, which concerns also the plight of many Hundreds of MISSING People. It adds Turkey's obligations to "execute" ECHR's Judgements in the Loizidou case,..and in particular adopt General Measures to avoid repetition or continuation of Violations found by the Court" to the detriment of Refugees.

    Nevertheless, Holovaty said to "EuroFora" that "MISSING" persons,"might be included" and cannot be excluded, but he has yet to examine the situation "to find out  which issues will be raised" to the Turkish Government.

    Therefore, "EuroFora" asked Halonen, as the Historic "Mother" of CoE's Monitoring mecanism, if she thought that, "whenever there are grave Human Rights Violations, as fex. "MISSING" persons, attested even by ECHR's judgements, they should be always checked by a Monitoring process. Or could they be forgotten ?"
    
     - "We (CoE) must be, at the same time, Fair, Realistic, but not in the mind that "now we have Forgotten", etc., replied to "EuroFora"'s question Halonen, speaking as a matter of general principle.

    - "When we think of those People that are suffering from the lack of Democracy, of Human Rights, and of the Rule of Law", "we should find a base on how to deal with the (Monitoring) system more rapidly"', she stressed.

    - "Sometimes it's very difficult to combine Transparency and Effectivenes together, particularly in this specific case", she went on to say. But, "I have not found a (CoE Member) Country who could be insensitive in this sens", Halonen answered concerning grave Human Rights violations attested by the ECHR.

    - "I have no ready-made answer. I have the expectations that you, in the CoE, will, step by step, find the different types of the monitoring systems."

    Also "because this is a part of the UN's Post-Conflict system, (fex. when it comes to Cyprus' MISSING persons), and it's a more Global system". So that, "If we make a succes in Europe, the others will follow", throughout the World.  "But they expect that we (Europe) are this opportunity, this Opportunity to make a Succes", Halonen concluded.

    In addition, she advised to extend CoE's Monitoring to all its 47 Member States, "because, as long as we hear that, all these monitoring systems are "OK for the neighbor, but not for me", "it's very difficult" to understand. Something which could make easier to Compare...

    Finnish MEP Jaako Laakso, former CoE Rapporteur on the Occupied Territories of Cyprus and one of the 5 Signatories of the Historic CoE's call to create the "MONITORING" mecanism since 1996, was more specific :  - "We (CoE Assembly) have to find a way for the issue of Cyprus' MISSING People to be better followed", he stressed, anouncing his intention to "speak to Mr. Holovaty" about that. "There might be also other ways", added Laakso.

    - The 2008 "Year had been a very Bad one for Turkey with regard to Human Rights in general, and Freedom of Expression in particular", denounced, meanwhile, Holovaty's preliminary Post-Monitoringh Draft Report by Holovaty, published by the CoE on April 2009.

    "Amnesty International believes that freedom of expression is not guaranteed given the various articles of the Criminal Code that restrict it. .. "For example, 1,300 Websites are said to have been closed down by the (Turkish) authorities in 2008" ! While "the new Turkish Criminal Code was used to bring a total of 1,072 proceedings between June 2005 and April 2008, and led to the conviction of 192 people", for expressing views. "Representatives of the Özgür Gündem newspaper, which specialises in Kurdish affairs, ..complained about Numerous Attacks on their Freedom of Expression ...as was everyone who advocated a settlement to the question by means other than the intervention of the army" "According to their figures, 19 Newspapers had been suspended 43 times between 4 August 2006 and 4 November 2008" !...

    Moreover, on 2008,  CoE's "Ministers adopted its 4rth Resolution on the execution of the judgments of the ECHR, ...and outstanding issues regarding 175 Judgements and decisions relating to Turkey delivered between 1996 and 2008...  concerning Deaths resulting from the excessive use of force by members of the Security forces, the failure to protect the right to life, the DIisappearance and/or death of individuals, Ill-Treatment and the Destruction of property". CoE's " Ministers urged the Turkish authorities ...to ensure that members of Security forces of all ranks can be prosecuted without administrative
authorisation" for "serious crimes". Holovaty reminded.

"Nonetheless", Holovaty heard anew of "Several cases of Violence committed last year (2008) by the (Turkish) security forces". Amnesty International speaks of Many Cases of ill-treatment and Torture in the prisons and by the police". "Including, fex."'the death of Engin Ceber, a young man of 29 who died on October 2008 as a result of the TORTURE allegedly inflicted on him by police officers, prison staff and members of the gendarmerie. He was part of a group of people arrested on September 2008 during a demonstration and Press Conference in Istanbul'. Proceedings against suspects are "on-going" in this case.

- " I therefore noted an Obvious Contradiction between the Government’s stated “zero tolerance” policy.... of Torture and other forms of ill-treatment, and the different testimonies given", denounced CoE's Rapporteur.  Turkish "authorities must make considerable efforts to guarantee that proper investigations are carried out into allegations of abuses by members of the security forces and that perpetrators are effectively punished" "In this respect, I have requested detailed Statistics on the number of Investigations, acquittals and convictions in cases involving allegations of abuse in order to show the positive impact of the measures taken to date", Holovaty said, repeating a permanently unsatisfied CoE's demand to Turkey since a Decade...

    - "The Political Crisis that shook the country in the spring of 2008 highlighted the Weaknesses of the (Turkish) Constitution", which comes from the Military regime of 1982, "and the Urgent Need of Reforms", stressed from the outset CoE's Rapporteur in 2009. In particular, "the ...Democratic functioning of state institutions, including the independence of the judicial system, are crucial", he observes.

    But, "the Electoral  system and the ways in which it is circumvented do not appear to give those elected complete Legitimacy, and tend to pervert the course of direct universal suffrage", denounces Holovaty, observing that, even 5 Years later, Turkey did not yet change the 10% nationwide Threshold for a party to take any seat, which is "far higher" than the "3%" maximum in Europe and already condemned as contrary to European Standards by the CoE.

    + Moreover, EU Parliament's 2009 Report on Turkey, drafted by Dutch MEP Ria Oomen-Ruijten and adopted in Strasbourg on March, expresses "Concern over the Failure of the (Turkish) Judiciary to prosecute cases of Torture and Ill-treatment, the Number of which is Growing". EU also "is concerned about continuing Hostility and Violence against Minorities" in Turkey. It also "calls on the Turkish Government to launch, as a matter of Priority, a Political Initiatve favouring a lasting Settlement of the Kurdish issue, (while "condemning violence.. and terrorist groups"). EU "regrets that No progress has been made on establishing full, systematic Civilian suprevisory functions over the (Turkish) Military".

    The final results of Holovaty's 2nd and last visit to Turkley will be known later this year, and, at any case, before EU's December 2009 Summit.

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