After the European Parliament (EP) convened to discuss Turkey on Tuesday, the co-president of the Greens/EFA group within the EP announced that same evening that the EP would vote on Wednesday whether or not to freeze accession negotiations with Turkey.
¨We had a very serious debate on EU and #Turkey and our relations today in @europeanparliam. Tomorrow we vote on freezing of negotiations,” Harms wrote on her Twitter account following the meeting.
In a statement released earlier on Tuesday, Harms said a majority of deputies in the EP are expected to support a freeze in talks. In addition, she called for a “pushback on Turkey’s calls for enhancement of the Customs Union and Visa Liberalisation.”
Harms also added that any opposition to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan “seems reason enough for people to be arrested, prosecuted or sacked from their job.” Consequently, the EU should give a clear indication to Turkey that reinstating the death penalty would lead to an indefinite suspension of negotiations. Harms also directed attention to the “criminalization of journalism” in Turkey, describing it as part of the ongoing oppression and against the rule of law.