European Union parliament calls for the suspension of Turkey EU accession talks

Members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs on Tuesday called for the suspension of Turkish EU accession talks if changes to the country’s constitution are implemented in full.


The committee approved the draft of the 2016 commission report on Turkey and proposed upgrading the EU-Turkey Customs Union instead, by making human rights and fundamental freedoms part of a new agreement.

As regards to Cyprus, the report calls for Turkey to withdraw troops from the island and stop sending settlers in order not to disturb the demographic balance of the island. It also urges Turkey to contribute to a just solution of the Cyprus problem.

The report also “underlines that a settlement of the Cyprus problem would have a positive impact on the entire region, while first and foremost benefiting both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots”. It also praises the leaders of the two Cyprus communities for having achieved major progress in the settlement talks, and welcomes the exchange of preferred maps during the first Conference on Cyprus in Geneva, which was “thus far unprecedented”.

It also calls upon Turkey to return the city of Varosha to its lawful inhabitants, “without further delay, as the relevant UN Security Council Resolution 550 (1984) provides for, and to immediately withdraw its troops from Cyprus as positive steps to the achievement of a democratic solution”.

The call follows concerns over Turkey backsliding in the rule of law and media freedom following last July’s coup attempt, and the referendum last April that gave Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s administration the green light for the expansion of his presidential powers.