In a report assessing Turkey’s accession process to the European Union, approved by Members of the European Parliament, lawmakers emphasized that although the EU’s enlargement policy has recently regained momentum, Turkey is missing this opportunity due to its lack of democratic reforms.
Regarding Turkey’s relations with Greece and Cyprus, the report includes extensive references, including an unequivocal condemnation of the ongoing occupation of Cyprus and Turkey’s violations of the sovereign rights of EU member states.
Among the amendments adopted during the plenary vote was an explicit reference to Greece’s legitimate right to extend its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles. The report also expanded its coverage of Greece’s sovereign zones and the violations of those zones by Turkey.
The report’s rapporteur, Sancho Sánchez Amor (Socialists & Democrats, Spain), stressed that “Turkey continues to move rapidly toward a fully authoritarian model.”
