Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
Turkey once again launched a new air attack against the democrats and the Autonomous Administration of northern and eastern Syria, places where different ethnic and religious communities live together peacefully and as equals. The focus again during attacks is on civilian areas and critical infrastructure. This came in a statement issued yesterday in Brussels by the European Union Civil Commission and Turkey, which added in the statement, a copy of which we received, “These attacks, which violate international law, are taking place without any opposition reaction from the international community, especially the European Union. The statement indicated that impunity Punishment for war crimes is unacceptable. There is an urgent need to condemn Turkey and impose appropriate sanctions on it
A rapid initiative for dialogue is required with the aim of reaching a political solution to both the Kurdish issue and the lasting peace process in the Middle East. Especially since Christmas is a good occasion to make an appeal in this regard and an appeal for this.
The EUTCC was established in November 2004 as a result of the first international conference on “The European Union, Turkey and the Kurds”. The following organizations decided to establish the European Union Turkish Civic Committee (EUTCC):
Rafto Foundation (Norway)
Kurdish Human Rights Project (UK/UK)
Medico International (Germany)
Human Rights Commission of England and Wales (UK).
The aim of the EUTCC is to contribute to the advancement of Türkiye's membership in the European Union. It does this by disseminating accurate and objective information both in Turkey and Europe about the progress Turkey has made, but also about any shortcomings that may still exist. One of its most important tasks is to monitor Türkiye's compliance with the criteria for joining the European Union. Every year it organizes a conference in Brussels on “The European Union, Turkey and the Kurds.” EUTCC is registered in Belgium as a non-profit organization.
The EUTCC supports Turkey's bid to join the EU, but only to the extent that it meets the conditions for membership as specified in the accession agreements. In particular, it must demonstrate that it has fulfilled the requirement of “stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights, and respect and protection of minorities” as required by the Copenhagen criteria for EU membership.
The EUTCC therefore seeks to ensure that the accession process is used to achieve respect for human and minority rights in Turkey, as well as a peaceful, just and democratic solution to the Kurdish situation. It monitors the European Commission's performance in ensuring Turkey's full compliance with the accession criteria, as defined in the meaning of the accession agreements, and conducts regular audits to this end. It disseminates accurate and objective information to EU institutions, other governmental and non-governmental organizations and to the public in Turkey and the EU in order to draw attention to the progress made by Turkey and the shortcomings that remain. It also seeks to play a positive role in the negotiation process by providing recommendations and acting as a point of contact for concerned parties.
The European Turkish Civil Commission (EUTCC) is held annually at the European Parliament in Brussels (Belgium), hosted by the founding members, and supported by Members of the European Parliament.
Since 2004, the EUTCC has held an annual conference in the European Parliament. One of its most important tasks is to monitor Türkiye's compliance with the criteria for joining the European Union. The EUTCC wishes to contribute to the progress of Turkey's EU membership by disseminating accurate and objective information both in Turkey and Europe about the progress Turkey has made, but also about any shortcomings that may still exist.