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Speech by Mr Olli Rehn at the European Parliament Plenary session

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  • Speech by Mr Olli Rehn at the European Parliament Plenary session

    EUROPA (press release), Belgium
    Sept 28 2005

    Speech by Mr Olli Rehn



    Member of the European Commission, responsible for Enlargement

    "Accession negotiations with Turkey: the journey is as important as
    the final destination"

    European Parliament Plenary Session
    Strasbourg, 28 September 2005


    Introduction

    Let me first extend a warm welcome to the new observer Members of
    Parliament from Bulgaria and Romania. I am very happy to see that you
    are participating in the work of this House, and I am looking forward
    to cooperating with you in the future.

    This debate about Turkey is timely. We are on the eve of the date
    fixed by the European Council for starting accession negotiations
    with Turkey. This opens a new phase in the EU-Turkey relations.

    The reasons which led the EU to decide to open accession negotiations
    with Turkey are unchanged: the EU needs a stable, democratic and
    prosperous Turkey, in peace with its neighbours, which takes over the
    EU values, policies and standards.

    The start of the negotiations will give a strong push for those in
    Turkey, who want to reform the country to meet the European values of
    rule of law and human rights; they are also a way for the EU to have
    leverage on the direction of these reforms.

    The conditions set in the December European Council conclusions are
    met: First, the six pieces of legislation, including the penal code,
    identified by the Commission in last year's Recommendation entered
    into force on 1 June. Second, Turkey signed Additional Protocol to
    Ankara Agreement on 29 July.

    Additional Protocol

    In this context, I would like to thank the chairman of the Committee
    of Foreign Affairs and the rapporteur, Mr Elmar Brok, for putting
    forward the recommendation to give assent to the conclusion of the
    Additional Protocol to the Ankara Agreement.

    Let me make some comments in light of the developments in recent
    weeks.

    We regret the fact that Turkey had to issue a declaration upon
    signature of the Additional Protocol. This obliged the EU Member
    States to react and to lay down the obligations which we expect
    Turkey to meet, in a statement adopted on
    21 September. It stresses that:

    - the declaration by Turkey is unilateral, it does not form part of
    the Protocol and that has no legal effect on Turkey's obligations
    under the Protocol;

    - the EU expects full, non-discriminatory implementation of the
    Additional Protocol, and the removal of all obstacles to the free
    movement of goods, including restrictions on means of transport;

    - the opening of negotiations on the relevant chapters depends on
    Turkey's implementation of its contractual obligations to all Member
    States; failure to implement its obligations in full will affect the
    overall progress in the negotiations;

    - recognition of all Member States is a necessary component of the
    accession process; accordingly, the EU underlines the importance it
    attaches to the normalisation of relations between Turkey and all EU
    Member States, as soon as possible;

    - and finally, in the context of this declaration, the European
    Community and its Member States agree on the importance of supporting
    the efforts of the UN Secretary General to bring about a
    comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem in line with relevant
    UNSCRs and the principles on which the EU is founded, and that a just
    and lasting settlement will contribute to peace, stability and
    harmonious relations in the region.

    Negotiating framework

    Right before the start of accession negotiations, the Council should
    adopt the negotiation framework proposed by the Commission. This
    framework forms a solid basis for rigorous and fair negotiations with
    Turkey.

    Political reform

    I have carefully read your joint motion for a resolution and I share
    many of your concerns. I also agree with you that there is an
    important link between the pace of negotiations and the pace of
    political reforms.

    I will spare no effort to repeat time and again that starting
    accession negotiations marks only the beginning of a very demanding
    and complex process: Turkey will need to continue and accelerate its
    process of internal transformation and its transition towards a fully
    fledged liberal democracy respectful of human rights and minorities.

    Turkey's reform process is ongoing. Important legislative reforms
    adopted earlier have now entered into force, leading to structural
    changes in the judiciary. The human rights situation has improved,
    but significant further efforts are required.

    There have been recently some encouraging signals. The acknowledgment
    by Prime Minister Erdogan of the existence of a `Kurdish issue' is a
    landmark. His trip to Diyarbakir suggests the importance the
    Government attaches to the economic and social development of the
    South East of Turkey.

    The academic conference on the Armenian issue could finally take
    place in Istanbul last week-end, with the support of the government
    and despite last-minute attempts by an administrative court to cancel
    it. These attempts were strongly condemned by PM Erdogan and Vice-PM
    Abdullah Gül. This is a step forward.

    However, in order to be fully credible, Turkey's commitment to
    further political reforms should be translated into more concrete
    achievements for the benefit of all Turkish citizens.

    Despite the efforts of the authorities, implementation on the ground
    remains uneven. On the one hand, there are signs that the judiciary
    is enforcing the reforms. Several positive court judgements have been
    made in relation to cases on freedom of expression, freedom of
    religion and the fight against torture and ill-treatment.

    On the other hand, there have been contradictory decisions,
    particularly in the area of freedom of expression where, for example,
    journalists continue to be prosecuted and, on occasion, convicted,
    for expressing certain non-violent opinions.

    The case of Orhan Pamuk is emblematic of the difficulties the Turkish
    authorities face to ensure effective and uniform implementation of
    the reforms and of the struggle between the reformers and the
    conservatives in Turkey.

    The respected novelist is prosecuted by a district judge of Istanbul
    under art 301 of the new Penal Code for `denigrating Turkish
    identity'. Yet, an earlier investigation by another prosecutor was
    dropped following a different interpretation of the same Penal Code,
    which states in the same article, 301 that expression of opinion with
    the purpose of criticism does not require penalties!

    The Commission made already very clear that its assessment of the new
    Penal Code, in particular on the doubtful provisions related to
    freedom of expression, would depend on how actually these provisions
    are implemented.

    The prosecution of Mr Pamuk raises serious concerns in this respect.
    If this is indeed the direction taken by the judiciary in Turkey,
    then the Turkish Penal Code will have to be amended in such a way
    that freedom of expression is not subject to the very particular
    beliefs of some district judge anymore, but simply follows European
    standards as we all know them.

    Another problem: fundamental problems encountered by non Muslim
    religious minorities persist. There is an urgent need to address
    these in a comprehensive manner via the adoption of legislation in
    line with the relevant European standards. A draft Law on Foundations
    is currently pending in Parliament but we have made it clear to the
    Turkish authorities that the current draft still falls short of EU
    standards.

    On these issues, the Commission will continue to monitor closely the
    progress in meeting the Copenhagen political criteria fully. We shall
    make a detailed analysis in our Regular Report, to be published on 9
    November.

    I want to add that we shall propose a revised Accession Partnership
    which will list the priorities that Turkey needs to meet, including
    in the political area. This will serve as a roadmap for future
    political reforms and as a yardstick against which to measure future
    progress.

    Conclusion

    L'Union Europénne se trouve à un moment crucial, dont nous ne devons
    pas sous-estimer l'importance. En ouvrant des négociations d'adhésion
    avec la Turquie, nous prenons une option forte sur la poursuite de la
    métamorphose politique, économique et sociale de ce pays. Ce faisant,
    nous respectons nos engagements à son égard.

    J'adresse à la Turquie le message que nous devons construire des
    relations basées sur une confiance réciproque. Je fais confiance aux
    autorités turques pour qu'elles s'embarquent dans ce voyage avec une
    attitude ouverte et que le Trois Octobre fournisse l'occasion d'un
    nouveau départ. La démonstration d'un engagement sans ambiguïté ni
    arrière-pensées envers la transformation démocratique et les valeurs
    européennes sera certainement le meilleur atout de la Turquie pour
    gagner le soutien de l'opinion publique en Europe.

    Au cours de la période à venir, la Turquie aura l'opportunité de
    démontrer qu'elle est sérieusement engagée à intégrer les valeurs
    européennes. Les pays qui souhaitent adhérer à l'Union doivent en
    effet partager notre vision de l'Europe et notre conception de
    relations internationales basées sur la démocratie, l'état de droit,
    les droits de l'homme et la solidarité. Ils doivent également
    partager nos normes, que ce soit entre autres dans le domaine social,
    environnemental ou industriel. Si l'Union Européenne prend un pari
    sur leur adhésion future, c'est parce que nous croyons aussi que
    c'est dans notre meilleur intérêt et que c'est pour le bénéfice de
    nos concitoyens. Je m'engage personnellement devant cette Assemblée à
    mettre en `uvre rigoureusement nos critères et conditions.

    Comme je l'ai dit à de nombreuses reprises, le voyage est aussi
    important que la destination finale. Bien que l'objectif commun des
    négociations soit l'adhésion, de telles négociations sont de par leur
    nature même ouvertes quant au résultat. Mais c'est dans notre intérêt
    réciproque que ce processus soit encadré dans des principes clairs et
    rigoureux tels que ceux prévus dans le cadre de négociation. Ceci est
    la meilleure garantie d'un succès.
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