Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/1999-12-01-Speech-3-121"
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"en.19991201.10.3-121"2
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"Mr President, Mr Morillon is to be congratulated for producing these reports in very difficult circumstances and with very little time. We are all in his debt and his reward has been the favourable vote in the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
These reports clearly respond to commitments made by the European Union. The Customs Union with Turkey has to be accompanied by special budget aid and a series of special loans from the European Investment Bank, in addition to the programmes provided for under the MEDA programme and procedure.
This aid consists of two types of measure. The first is aimed at strengthening economic and social cohesion and overcoming the regional development inequalities within the country. The other is intended to help Turkey gradually gain access to the Community market, take on the
and intensify the Customs Union. For this last objective, a three-year multiannual framework of EUR 15 million is provided. As no budget cover exists for these amounts in 1999, the multiannual financial framework of the programme will have to be extended by one year to 2002, as mentioned today by the rapporteur. The appropriations for 1999 will also have to be included in the draft supplementary and amending budget.
It is impossible to separate the Morillon report from the general context of relations with Turkey. We have today debated with the President-in-Office of the Council and the President of the Commission the problems which have occurred, the proposals made by the European Commission in its report on the Helsinki Summit and also the position which the Council of Ministers will presumably adopt.
This House adopted a resolution in October which clearly marks the line which should be followed by the European Parliament. However, as stated today by Mr Poettering, on behalf of my group, there are some disagreements within our group as to the importance, nature and scope to be attributed to Turkey’s application.
I particularly believe, and I said this in the debate in October, that for the first time all the pieces of the Turkish jigsaw are on the table, namely the problems of the Aegean islands, Cyprus, human rights and ethnic minorities. A major debate is currently in progress on the ratification of the death penalty imposed on Mr Öçalan.
I agree with the rapporteur that the vote on these reports should not now be taken off the agenda. This House has made an inescapable commitment to a moratorium on the death penalty, as we did in the debate in the last plenary part-session, on which I understand the President has written to the Turkish authorities. I therefore feel that the European Union must honour its commitments and, at the same time, recognise that nobody has been executed in Turkey for fifteen years.
This must not lead us to forget the commitment we have made to the defence of human rights, fundamental freedoms and the ethnic minorities in Turkey. In my opinion, we must be very clear and send an unambiguous message to the Turkish authorities about what they can expect from us and what their corresponding rights are. We must be extremely clear in this respect, by stressing that they are entitled to apply but that it is not in our interest to start these accession negotiations until the Copenhagen criteria, and the political commitments in particular, have been met.
The European Union’s commitment must be to therefore very firmly support the excellent reports presented by Mr Morillon."@en1
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