EU Parliament drops Turkey Accession, prefers Relationship. +Ashton for Deep Democracy in Neighbours

Adopting last minute Amendments in a key Resolution on EU Foreign Policy after a landmark Debate on EU High Representative Baroness Ashton's declaration of Principles for New EU Neighborhood Strategy since the recent Changes evolving in 3rd Mediterranean Countries, (See infra), EU Parliament's Plenary in Strasbourg, rejected the term "Accession" for Turkey, replacing it by the Neutral term "Future Relationship" between "EU and Turkey" :

- With a Majority of 338 against 280 Votes, MEPs refused a controversial Draft which had vainly felt a "need for a renewed Momentum in Turkey's accession (sic !) negotiations" in order "to  avoid a potential Standstill", and replaced it, instead, with another, quite Different sentence, which asks "a long-term Strategic approach to be taken by both the EU and Turkey towards their Future Relationship", (i.e. something which could be also a kind of "Privileged Partnership", etc).

Moreover, MEPs observe and "deplore the virtual STAGNATION of Turkey's accession" initial bid, which has notoriously become controversial and unpopular in recent years, atteste the existence of "Obstacles" in front of it, and "Warn of seriouss, long-term Problems if the EU - Turkey Relationship is not stabilised", in one way or another. Despite that, MEPs "hope" that "Turkey will continue its Modernization.. at any case".

+ MEPs also adopted another relevant Amendment, on this same occasion, Warning Ankara that EU's decisions in this regard depend from "All" its "Member States", i.e. including f.ex. Cyprus (that Ankara notoriously still refuses to recognize, while also Occupying with its Military the Northern Part of that EU Country), as well as France, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, and other EU States more or less opposed to Turkey's controversial and unpopular EU bid.     

Significantly, both these 2 key amendments were tabled by experienced, mainstream British MEP Andrew Duff, of the Liberal/Democrat Group, from the New Governing Liberal/Conservative Majority of Clegg and Cameron at the U.K., - inevitably reminding Lloyd George/young Winston Churchill's (also Liberal/Conservative) famous, Historic opposal to Ottoman Turkey's oppression against Arabs, Amenians and Greeks, etc. during the 1915-1922 period..  --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The move came after EU High Representative on Common Foreign and Security Policy, EU Commission's vice-President, Baroness Cathy Ashton, in a landmark speech on the "Main aspects and Basic Choices" of CFSP, focused from the outset, speaking from the point of view of General Principles, on the "Winds of Change" which are "Blowing accross Countries we call our Neighbours", posing "Great Challenges for Europe, but also Opportunities we cannot afford to miss", including "Aspirations" and "Expectations" to meet the "Need for (what she called) Deep Democracy", I.e.; "Respect for the Rule of Law, Freedom of Speech, Respect for Human Rights, an Independent Judiciary and Impartial Administration" : "It's not just about Changing Governments.. In the long run, Surface Democracy, that floats on the top - people casting their Votes freely on Election Date ... - will not survive if Deep Democracy fails to take root", as she said.

- "Europe has Choices to make.. As we look at our Neighborhood, we have to be ready to rise to the Challenges hat are being asked of us. I can make Hundreds of Statements, and I do : "I deplore, condemn, urge, demand. But we also need to Act. And that Action has to comme in Different Forms", she added. "Change does not necessarily assure Progress, but Progress absolutely requires Change", Ashton underlined. "And that means we (EU) have to be more Determined to Act... We have to decide that we will all play our part. But if we only do it when the Media's Attention is on those Countries or on us, then we will fail", she warned. On the contrary, "we (EU) have got to Help our Neighbours Not just to Start their Journey towards Democracy, but to Complete it", concluded EU's CFSP Head.

All this apparently sounds Negatively for Turkey's controversial and unpopular EU bid, particularly considering also CoE's recent anouncement that Turkey, even after more than 16 Years of Condemnations by ECHR for exceptionally grave Human Rights Violations, (such as Killings, Torture, abritrary deprivation of liberty, Violations of Freedom of Speech, Association, Religion, etc), +1995-2011, still persists into having a Growing Quantity of New Cases of Judgements condemning Ankara transmited to CoE's Committee of Ministers in order to supervise their implementation, remaining (and even aggravating since 2010 !) its No 1, Record High position among the 47 Member States of the PanEuropean CoE in attested Human Rights Violations in Serious cases of particularly Grave Concern :

- Thus, according to the Latest CoE Data, made available on April 2011, Turkey (No 1)represents .. 20% of "New Cases" of ECHR Condemnations introduced in 2010 (augmenti,g + 2% from 2009), compared to "only" 13% for Russia, (No 2), which has, nevertheless, a more than Twice bigger Population, followed by Romania and Poland with 9%, as well as Ukraine with 8%, etc.

- Moreover, Turkey also represents the No 1 Number of exceptionaly Serious, Grave Human Rights Violations, condemned by ECHR in "Leading Cases", which have been "Pending", at CoE's Committee of Ministers, without Implementation "for more than two Years" Time, at the End of 2010, totaling some 16% among CoE's 48 Countries, followed by Russia and Bulgaria with 9%, Romania with 7%, Ukraine and Italy with 6%, etc.

Thus, Turkey obviously continues, and even aggravates recently, its No 1 Reponsibility for ECHR and all CoE's notorious Overload in Human Rights' Violations cases, particularly the most serious, grave, and numerous...

=> In these conditions, everyone can understand the Doubts recently expressed even by EU Chairman-in-office, the Hungarian Foreign Minister Nemeth, speaking in a Press Conference at EU Parliament in Strasbourg, (Comp. relevant Replies of the Hungarian EU Presidency to "EuroFora"s Questions on this occasion, already sent earlier to Donors/Subscribers), concerning Turkey's place vis a vis EU's New Neighborhood Policy  :

- Speaking about the need to re-think anew EU's Neighborhood Policy, the EU Council's Chairman-in-office observed critically that "Turkey, is ... Difficut to Distinguish, but, Is it a...factor towards the Caucasian Region, or more and more under the Southern sphere of influence ?", as he wondered, focusing on recent Changes and/or Aspirations for real Democratisation in 3rd Mediterranean Countries, from Morocco up to Syria and beyond..

Indeed, since EU Parliament adopted, since April 2011, a crystal-clear Resolution on the on-going Changes in 3rd Mediterranean Countries, asking mainly to considerably strenghen, and start to really apply, the Human Rights and Democracy Clauses in all instruments concerning their relations with the EU, it obviously becomes impossible, Today, for the EU to credibly promisse Human Rights' Respect to the People of all other Neighbouring, 3rd Mediterranean Countries, except from Turkey, without being accused to practice Double Standards !