MEP fights for Turkish EU entry report

The MEP at the centre of a row over Turkish EU entry has hit back at Socialist group plans to delay his controversial report.

Camiel Eurlings’ says he will fight to have his report on Turkey debated in Strasbourg next week.

“This cannot be postponed again,” he told this website.

“It has been postponed so many times in the past and with the European commission preparing its Turkey report for November 8 we cannot afford to let this timely moment slip.”

Socialist MEPs say Eurlings’ report is “unbalanced and biased” and have pledged to use a Thursday meeting of political group and committee leaders to press for the delay.

Concern among centre-left MEPs - the parliament’s second biggest bloc – focuses on Eurlings’ demands that Ankara must recognise the Armenian genocide as a precondition for EU entry.

But Eurlings’ insists it was never his intention to force the Turks to formally recognise this chapter of their history.

“This amendment was added when my report was being debated in the parliament’s foreign affairs committee, and it is an amendment I regret” the Dutch MEP declared.

“And the amendment was actually proposed by the Socialist MEP Veronique De Keyser. I think the Socialists need to get together to work out what their line is on my report.”

Eurlings report also laments a “slowdown in democratic reforms” and calls on Ankara to remove or amend articles that allow judges to limit freedom of expression.

It also urges Turkey to normalise relations with Cyprus.

“I will fight to have this report debated as planned at next week’s plenary,” Eurlings insisted.

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