The European
Parliament on Thursday asked for Turkey's European Union accession talks to be
suspended if Ankara implements a constitutional overhaul, backed by a
referendum in April, which expands the powers of President Tayyip Erdogan.
The
parliament has limited influence on the issue and Turkey said on Thursday it
rejected proposals that it drop its EU membership bid in favor of cooperation
in other areas.
EU leaders
have been critical of Erdogan and his behavior toward opponents, both before
and after an abortive coup against him a year ago. But they do not want to
undermine an agreement struck last year whereby Turkey effectively stopped
migrants reaching Greece, easing a crisis that had threatened EU unity.
The
resolution passed by the parliament on Thursday "calls on the Commission
and the member states, in accordance with the Negotiating Framework, to
formally suspend the accession negotiations with Turkey without delay if the
constitutional reform package is implemented unchanged."
Erdogan's
proposed constitution would greatly expand his powers, which he says is
necessary to ensure stability in Turkey.
Opposition
parties and human rights groups say the reforms threaten judicial independence
and push Turkey toward one-man rule. The EU has also expressed concern.
The Venice
Commission, a panel of legal experts from the Council of Europe, a rights body
to which Turkey belongs, warned in March ahead of Turkey's referendum that the
proposed constitutional shakeup represented a "dangerous step backwards"
for democracy. Ankara rejected the criticism.
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