Foreign Office rebuffs Andrew Duff, who claimed membership talks will be frozen this autumn, but warns Turkey over new internet laws
By Michael Daventry
BRITAIN has distanced itself from a European Parliament member who suggested Turkey’s EU application will be frozen later this year.
Andrew Duff MEP, who said it would “be a surprise” if Turkish EU talks were not frozen
Andrew Duff, the Liberal Democrat MEP for East of England, said on Monday he thought it would “be a surprise” if the European Union did not suspend Turkish membership talks in the autumn.
“It’s a charade to pretend there is a genuine accession process going on,” he told The Times in response to recent legislation from Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government curtailing internet access and increasing the powers of the MIT intelligence agency.
Mr Duff has tabled an amendment calling on the European Parliament and Commission to consider a form of associate membership for Turkey instead.
Associate partnership for Turkey has often been proposed by other governments – notably Austria and Germany – concerned about the prospect of Turkey becoming a full member.
But a Foreign & Commonwealth Office spokeswoman said EU membership remained “the most effective mechanism” for Turkish reform.
“Mr Duff’s comments do not reflect UK Government policy,” she told Londra Gazete.
“The UK is clear that the EU Accession process remains the most effective mechanism for continuing reform in Turkey and we remain fully committed to, and supportive of, that process.”
The offer of an alternative to full membership would require the unanimous support of all European Union countries, including Britain.
INTERNET WARNING
But Britain did express concern over Turkish plans to give a government body the power to block access to websites without a court order, which were signed into law by President Abdullah Gül last week.
The Turkish government has insisted the law was designed to protect the right to privacy, but critics have described it as state-sanctioned censorship.
The FCO spokeswoman said “Online, we believe that Turkey needs more transparency and openness, and fewer restrictions. Any legislation in this field should be in line with the European standards.
“Any restrictions should be targeted and proportionate.”
The US State Department also voiced concerns last week, describing the law as having “the potential to severely restrict free expression, freedom of the press, and access to information over the internet”.
“We also believe that the law could negatively impact Turkey’s business and investment climate,” a State Department spokeswoman said.
