T U RK I SH SOC I AL D EMOC R AC Y Republican People’s Party
EU ROPEA N BU L L ET I N
C H P
www.chp.org.tr
July 2009
CHP AND TURKE Y 'S E U MEMBE RSIP P RO CE SS Turkish Social Democratic View
CHP firmly supports Turkey’s EU process and asks the government to overcome its consistent failures. The EU process requires a pluralistic debate to which CHP contributes as the main opposition party. We also recently published a book entitled “Yes to Full Membership No to Special Partnership”. CHP asks better fulfilment of the EU's Copenhagen political criteria and more regulatory and social reforms. The support of the Turkish public to the EU membership goal is crucial and necessitates a sound political vision. It is on a clear record that the CHP has requested the limitation of the scope of the article 301 for enhanced freedom of expression and press, the reform for the independence of the judiciary, decisive anti-corruption measures including the case of Deniz Feneri charity case in Germany, women rights initiatives and the adoption of the law on labour unions. CHP proposed also a comprehensive economic growth programme and a detailed plan to solve the Kurdish question. CHP President Mr Baykal and Vice President Öymen visited Brussels in February meeting with the Commission President Barroso and Commissioner Rehn, the leaders of the Socialist Group and the European labour leaders (ETUC) and joining as guest of honour the inauguration of the Labour Friends of Turkey group at the European Parliament. He also inaugurated CHP’s EU Office in Brussels to promote Turkey’s EU membership process and better inform the EU public on the CHP’s social democratic policies. On 13 July 2009, in the extraordinary meeting of the CHP’s parliamentary group at the İsmail Cem Auditorium (CHP Headquarters), Mr Deniz Baykal launched an appeal to re-energise Turkey’s EU process More constitutional amendments can be envisaged to enhance the exclusively civil nature of the Turkish democracy. He underlined that the government’s approach should generate credibility and confidence in the eyes of the Turkish public and avoid short-sighted political moves and partial legislative manoeuvrings. Baykal emphasised the need for a comprehensive democratic reform package including: 1. Explicit interdiction of all forms tutorship, military or governmental, on the Turkish democracy (several articles of the Constitution, political parties law and the penal code are concerned) 2. Abolishment of the parliamentary immunities without limiting the right of expression of political opinion.
C H P EUROPEAN UNION REPRESENTATION Republican People's Party – Turkey
( Member of the Socialist International )
11, Rond Point Schuman 1040 Brussels T: +32 2 256 7537
F: +32 2 256 7570
brussels@chp.org.tr
www.chp.org.tr
3. Independence of the Judges and Prosecutors High Board, without political intervention (Justice minister as Chairperson and the undersecretary of the justice ministry as member is a practice in contradiction with the European standards) 4. Limitation of the military courts’ competences in accordance with the Constitution and the European practices (All forms of military intervention in the political governance is a crime under the Turkish penal code and it is under civil jurisdiction. CHP defends the authority of the military courts exclusively for the military service and profession related cases) 5. Independent fiscal authority without governmental custody. (Manipulation of the tax administration for political pressure and undemocratic struggles against media and the business community is a non-military form of totalitarian political behaviour). 6. A transparent implementation of the EU reforms in explaining to the public their real contribution to Turkey’s social and economic life. ____________________________________________________________ Please refer as well to : http://brussels.chp.org.tr Facebook - CHP EU : www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=69239487060&ref=ts Twitter - CHP EU : https://twitter.com/CHPEU ____________________________________________________________
Main pillars of CHP’s policies in view of Turkey’s EU membership are the following: 1. FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION CHP’s support to widening the freedom of expression goes beyond the Article 301 of the Turkish Criminal Code. All barriers limiting the freedom of expression should be eliminated by handling the issue broadly. The contradictory attitudes of the government both in Turkey and abroad regarding the Article 301 are obvious. We believe that a government which enjoys a parliamentary majority to modify the article 301 should not have blamed the civil society or the opposition. The government ignored as well the CHP’s comprehensive proposal for an amendment to guarantee the freedom of expression of the Turkish citizens. As a result of a political campaign, the CHP was just successful to introduce the notion of “criticism is not a crime” to the revised Article 301. CHP asks also the government to reform the judiciary system in accordance with the European Commission's report. This requires first to guarantee the independence of nomination of the judges and the prosecutors, to depoliticise the functioning of the judiciary and to enhance its professional conditions. The transfer of competences from the military to civil courts would then be the natural part of this comprehensive approach and fully supported by the CHP in accordance with the Constitution. We should avoid that short-sighted political polemics interfere with the process of EU reforms and further deteriorate the public confidence on both the credibility of the judiciary power and the sincerity of the EU membership goal.
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In this respect, it is also important to emphasise the CHP’s position against all attempts of military take-overs which constitute a crime to be judged by the civilian courts. The Constitution also ought to be revised to end the protection of the leaders of the 1980’s military coup. The CHP is against all forms of intervention to the judiciary system, whether it is of military or governmental origin. For example, some senior public authorities whose names are mentioned in the international fraud cases and who are being adjudicated by the German courts are publicly supported by some political authorities. 2. FREEDOM OF THE PRESS Free press and citizens’ right of access to information are one of the fundamental freedoms, which should be better protected. Unfortunately, Prime Minister publicly called several times for the boycott of an important media group. The latter had just transmitted the news regarding the Deniz Feneri charity fraud with links in Germany and Turkey in close relationship with the ruling party. These calls were followed by a rapid fiscal inquiry and unusually high and not clearly justified financial amends to the same media group. CHP brought this issue to the attention of the international community. Prime Minister’s frequent repetition of his boycott call and his defence of it before the public in Turkey and even in Brussels harms Turkey’s EU process. A climate of fear is growing in the Turkish media damaging the free public debate. 3. FREEDOM OF RELIGION CHP request that the status of “cemevi” prayer houses should be approved and the Alevis should fully live their religious freedom. CHP supported the march organized together with Alevi unions and brought the issue before the Turkish Parliament. The new program of CHP stands for the religious freedom. The rights of the citizens of the Turkish Republic from all religions, including Christian and Jewish citizens should be in compliance with the European standards and the Treaty of Lausanne. 4. KURDISH ISSUE Better articulated recognition of the Kurdish cultural rights, private broadcasting, and teaching of the Kurdish language and economic rehabilitation of the region are the main axis of the roadmap proposed by the CHP. We expect the government to discuss these proposals with the opposition parties and the wider public in view of a broad national consensus to move forward with the Kurdish issue and meet the European standards. (For the detailed position in the Turkish Social Democracy European Bulletin, http://brussels.chp.org.tr/Dosyalar/Belgeler/30_20090310172201_1.pdf ) 5. WOMEN RIGHTS Fighting against inequalities and social justice have always been central pillars CHP policies. Inequalities between men and women generate deeper social fractures in the rapidly developing countries. Turkish women can not be oriented towards second class roles. CHP’s gender equality approach envisages several measures: women data banks, Women Rights Council with monitoring and policy formulation competencies, enhanced education opportunities for the girls, increase of the period of compulsory schooling to eleven years and sound family planning policies. We do not approve the government’s tendency of defining the role of women in the social life exclusively as “mother and wife” by encouraging them to have at least three children. Turkey needs a more qualified young generation grown up by better educated mothers and fathers. (Our opinions on this issue are expressed in the panel for Women Rights in Turkey organized at the European Parliament. You can find detailed information in our gender equality bulletin: http://brussels.chp.org.tr/?Islem=BultenGoster&BultenID=48 )
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5. SOCIAL RIGHTS Despite CHP’s clear demands and the support of the majority of the labour unions and the employers, the government preferred to not pass the social legislation and consequently the relevant chapter of negotiations were not opened with the EU. This shows once more how the ruling party is under the influence of the informal economy in Turkey creating the problems of public revenues and child labour among others. CHP’s policies cover a wide range of social issues: fighting the income disparities, equal payment to equal work, labour unions law in ILO standards, fight against politically and religiously (criterion of wife’s headscarf) assignments in the public service... 5. ECONOMIC GROWTH AND JOBS The CHP's vision of Turkey is an entrepreneurial and social market economy and information society contributing effectively to Europe's Lisbon agenda. On the hand, the current global crisis implies rapid measures for the short term as first suggested by the CHP early 2009: (1) The Government should change its fundamental approach to the economic crisis. There is a need for a new program. Growth, inflation and deficit expectations should be redefined under a realist program. The government should bring a new economic measures package once it ensures confidence. (2) Serious savings should be made in the budget and election spending should be reviewed. The government should increase infrastructure investments, a key element in fighting against unemployment. (3) Value-added tax should be lifted for six months in the key sectors, such as automotives and white goods, to boost demand. (4) The government should ease the fiscal policy and should declare a mid-term financial program. (5) Non-performing loans are on the rise resulting in a squeeze in the banking system. In order to remove the fear in the credit markets, a credit guarantee fund should be developed. (6) Employment costs, premiums and tax rates should be cut by 10 percent immediately. Turkey needs such reform even if there is no crisis. (7) The resources within the unemployment fund should be used to cut the unemployment and new vocational training and life-long learning programmes should be adopted.
http://brussels.chp.org.tr
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