Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-12-15-Speech-3-026"
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"en.20041215.2.3-026"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the request by a number of members of the Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats for a secret vote on the Eurlings report speaks volumes about the impudent manner in which the advocates of Turkey’s accession to the EU – including the governments of the Member States in London, Berlin, Rome, but also the Belgian Government in Brussels – slavishly implement Washington’s agenda and bring pressure to bear on members of parliament and politicians, against the will of the large majority of the people, to push through a decision which will have dramatic historic and social implications for Europe. Indeed, quite a few members of the Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats wish to vote against the Eurlings report because they are squarely opposed to Turkey joining, but dare to do so only when the way they vote is concealed from the general public. For fear of possible criticism, though, and of all the consequences that this entails for their careers in their own countries, where their governments, haughtily laughing off popular opinion, want to give Ankara the go-ahead the day after tomorrow, they will not do so if the vote is public and not secret. The same may apply to quite a few Members of the Socialist Group. I would remind you of the valiant positions taken up in France on the Turkey issue by Robert Badinter, Hubert Védrine and the former Socialist Education Minister, Claude Allègre, all of whom have cautioned us about the disastrous consequences of Turkey’s possible accession. It is indicative of the lack of democratic openness with which this issue has been addressed for years now.
In Helsinki, only three minutes were taken to discuss the question as to whether Turkey should obtain candidate status. That is what is reported by the former European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Mr Bolkestein, who was the only person with the courage to tell Mr Prodi that he refused to approve the positive Commission recommendation of 6 October.
Three minutes to decide whether we move the hotbeds of conflict in the Caucasus and the Middle East to Europe’s boundaries. Three minutes to decide whether tomorrow, we will again offer millions of immigrants the opportunity to flood our continent. Three minutes to decide whether we allow a country, where human rights in general and women’s rights in particular are violated on a large scale, entry into our Union as a so-called model secular state and straight away give them the largest number of votes in the Council. Three minutes to give the go-ahead to a country that refuses to recognise another Member State and occupies part of that Member State with 30 000 troops after having committed untold crimes against humanity. Three minutes to give the go-ahead to a country where the state’s denial of the Armenian genocide is organised by the Ministry of Education, while nobody in Europe utters a word about this. I ask you, Europe, where are your grand principles?"@en1
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