Offensive behaviour by Turkish President during visit by Commission and European Council Presidents

Priority question for written answer  P-002113/2021
to the Commission
Rule 138
Dimitrios Papadimoulis (The Left)

During a visit by the Commission and European Council Presidents to Ankara on 6 April, Turkey deliberately committed an unprecedented breach of protocol in a calculated snub directed at the EU and its values, including gender equality[1]. The incident occurred only a few days after Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence amidst reports that at least 300 women were murdered last year[2]. At the same time, infringements of civil liberties are continuing, as evidenced by the decision to deprive HDP Member Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu[3] of his parliamentary seat, the motion filed with the Constitutional Court by the Turkish Attorney-General seeking to ban the HDP party[4] completely and the continued imprisonment of Selahattin Demirtas and Osman Kavala despite the final judgment of the ECHR[5].

In view of this:

• 1.How does the Commission intend to respond to the incident and ensure that there will be no recurrence of such offensive behaviour towards the EU?
• 2.How will it make absolutely clear to the Turkish President that, if he wishes to remain an EU interlocutor, he must respect EU values, fundamental and human rights, including gender equality, and civil liberties?
• 3.What radical measures will it take to address these very serious infringements by Turkey?

• [1] https://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/news/sofa-gate-brings-more-headaches-for-the-eu/
• [2] https://www.politico.eu/article/turkey-istanbul-convention-council-of-europe-violence-against-women/, https://www.dw.com/en/turkey-quits-istanbul-convention-on-violence-against-women/a-56936323
• [3] https://www.hdp.org.tr/en/gergerlioglu-has-been-stripped-of-his-deputyship-by-the-order-of-the-government/15181/
• [4] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56438070, https://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/news/turkey-moves-to-ban-pro-kurdish-hdp-party/
• [5] https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng#{%22appno%22:[%2214305/17%22],%22itemid%22:[%22001-207173%22], https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-echr-demirtas-idUSKBN28W1PJ