STRASBURG, — The 69th Meeting of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee was held in Strasbourg on June 13-14, 2012.
EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, Mr Stefan Füle (in charge also of the EU-Turkey Accession talks) has expressed his concern over freedom and human rights in Turkey.
Mr Fule pointed on KCK arrests by Turkish authorities stating that “In consideration of the people who have been put in jail because of their thoughts, Turkey should make an amendment in the definition of crime, the anti-terror law and the recognition of women’s rights and belief groups such as Alewis.”
Ambassador Kim Jorgensen stressed that Turkey should protect basic human rights and freedoms and highlighted the importance of the Kurdish problem and the freedom of the press.
Helene Flautre, Co-President of Turkey-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee also called attention to the importance of finding a solution to the Kurdish problem with an approach from its political and cultural respects we well.
Evaluating the arrest of Kurdish politicians and BDP members as a consequence of the current anti-terror law, Flautre called Turkish government to make necessary amendments to remedy the current situation in the country.
Turkey applied for full membership in1987
Confirmed as candidate in December 1999
Negotiations started in October 2005
Turkey met the last condition for accession talks in July 2005, when it extended a customs union with the EU to all new member states, including Cyprus.
However, it failed to ratify the customs union and its ports and airports remain closed to Cypriot traffic. The EU responded, in December 2006, by freezing accession talks in eight policy areas.
In December 2009 EU governments reaffirmed the freeze, saying it would “have a continuous effect on the overall progress in the negotiations”.
“Turkey has not made progress towards normalisation of its relations with the Republic of Cyprus,” they said, calling for progress “without further delay”.
So far only 13 of the 33 areas of negotiation – called “chapters” – have been opened.
Turkey’s EU negotiations have been overshadowed by concerns about freedom of speech and democracy in Turkey, oppression of the Kurdish people, treatment of religious minorities, women’s and children’s rights, civilian control of the military and the Cyprus tensions.
The European Commission has called on Turkey to strengthen democracy and human rights, underlining the need for deeper judicial reform.