91999E2690

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2690/99

by Thierry La Perriere (UEN) to the Council

(3 January 2000)

Subject: EU-Turkish relations, human rights, and Christian minorities

In the negotiations on implementation of the Customs Union and Turkey's application to join the European Union, the Council is focusing especially on the situation of the Kurds.

There are other minorities in Turkey. Christians make up quite a substantial portion of its population. In the past, Christian Turks have suffered human rights violations on a massive scale, and their situation is still extremely precarious.

Can the Council say whether, when conducting the ongoing negotiations with Turkey, it is likewise focusing on the situation of the Christian minorities?

Reply

(13 March 2000)

The Helsinki European Council decided that Turkey is a candidate State destined to join the Union on the basis of the same criteria as applied to the other candidate States. Compliance with the Copenhagen political criteria is a prerequisite for the opening of any accession negotiations. The Council underlines that stability of institutions guaranteeing human rights and respect for and protection of minorities is one of the Copenhagen political criteria. This naturally includes the Christian minorities.

According to the Helsinki European Council conclusions, building on the existing European strategy, Turkey, like other candidate States, will benefit from a pre-accession strategy to stimulate and support its reforms. This will include enhanced political dialogue, with emphasis on progressing towards fulfilling the political criteria for accession with particular reference inter alia to the issue of human rights. This too naturally includes the Christian minorities.