MEP: Turkey in deep crisis

Member of the European Parliament, Marietje Schaake (ALDE/D66) emphasises her concerns regarding the state of the rule of law in Turkey. Today the European Parliament debates about a report evaluating the progress of the Turkish accession talks and tomorrow the Parliament will vote on it. "The deep crisis in which Turkey now finds itself is the result of a dangerous power struggle between Prime Minister Erdogan's ruling AK-party and the Gülen movement. In his attempts to win this battle, Erdogan is undermining democracy and the rule of law by introducing new legislation which further endangers the separation of power and freedom of expression. At the same time, new corruption scandals are constantly revealed." "The EU needs to make better use of the ties it has through the accession negotiations to block or overturn repressive rules and laws. In the past months, legislation has been passed that is in clear violation of the accession criteria and the EU needs to be vocal in addressing this. The blocking of social media and restrictions to digital freedoms, which are currently being implemented, are completely unacceptable. We need to make sure that we show the Turkish population that we are on their side in their plight for more freedom and democracy." Because of the very deep polarisation, on both sides, Schaake has called for an independent international investigation into the crisis to look for a way out.