Negotiations for Turkey’s accession to the EU.

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

1999

2004

Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality.

25 June 2001

OPINION

of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality.

to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security, and Defence Policy

regarding Turkey’s accession application to the European Union and the progress of the negotiations.

(COM(2000) 713 – C5‑0613/2000 – 2000/2014 (COS))

Draftswoman: Anna Karamanou

HISTORY OF THE PROCEDURE

During its meeting on March 20, 2001, the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality appointed Ms. Anna Karamano as the rapporteur for the opinion.

During its meetings on May 29, June 20, and June 21, 2001, the committee examined the draft opinion.

At the aforementioned last meeting, the committee unanimously approved the following conclusions.

The following members were present during the voting: Maj Britt Theorin, chair; Anna Karamanou, rapporteur; María Antonia Avilés Perea, Maria Berger, Lone Dybkjær, Lissy Gröner, Heidi Anneli Hautala, Mary Honeyball, Ródi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou, Thomas Mann, Maria Martens, Ria G.H.C. Oomen-Ruijten (substituting Astrid Lulling), Patsy Sörensen, and Joke Swiebel.
CONCLUSIONS

The Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality calls on the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security, and Defense Policy, which is responsible for the substance, to include the following elements in its draft resolution:

– having regard to the fact that gender equality is a fundamental principle and a fundamental right, in accordance with Articles 2 and 3, paragraph 2, of the Treaty establishing the European Community and the case law of the European Court of Justice,

– having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the United Nations Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the ILO Conventions (International Labour Organization), to which all member states are parties, as well as the Beijing Declaration and the United Nations Platform for Action,

– having regard to the conclusions of the Nice European Council in December 2000, which declared gender equality a fundamental social and economic strategic goal of the European Community and a necessary condition for both economic growth and social progress,

A. emphasizing that the adoption of the European acquis in the field of gender equality is a sine qua non condition for Turkey’s accession to the European Union, as it is fundamentally a matter of human rights. It underscores that establishing the necessary institutions and strengthening institutional and administrative capacity in this area is a key requirement for the full implementation of the acquis communautaire,

B. noting the serious legal discriminations against women, particularly in Civil Law, many articles of which, as highlighted by the Turkish women’s organization KADER, violate the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), to which Turkey is a party. It expresses satisfaction that the amendment of the Civil Code is finally included in the agenda of the National Assembly; however, it expresses concern over the negative developments that occurred during the discussion of the issue in the relevant Parliamentary Committee on Justice,

C. regarding women’s right to work, noting the high unemployment rate affecting women (39.6%), which is exacerbated in rural areas, and at the same time the limited number of working women who receive social security—only 12% of the total insured workers—as well as the fact that, despite the reference in Article 26 of the Labor Code to the principle of equal pay for equal work, women are paid less and face unfavorable working conditions, with reduced wages and a lack of maternity protection measures, given the employer’s right to dismiss them after parental leave. It notes, however, with satisfaction that the National Program provides for changes in labor legislation, particularly regarding pregnancy and parental leave,

D. noting that the National Program does not promote the integration of gender equality in all policies (mainstreaming) and does not provide for anything related to positive actions, particularly for the representation of women in decision-making bodies, where their participation is extremely low, with only 22 women among the 550 members of Parliament and just 1.5% in Local Government, while there is no mention in the statutes of most parties regarding the role and participation of women in the political life of the country,

E. noting with sadness the low participation of women in education and vocational training, the high rates of illiteracy and school dropout, particularly in the eastern regions of the country,

F. highlighting the high rates of domestic violence and the complete lack of legal and counseling support for victims, as well as the fact that the crime of marital rape is not criminalized,

G. highlighting that public spending on health is insufficient to provide even basic services to citizens. It notes with sadness that women are particularly vulnerable, as due to the inadequacy of medical services, deaths during childbirth account for 5.2% of the total female mortality.

1. calls on the Turkish government to continue, in cooperation with the Commission, its efforts aimed at strengthening its pre-accession strategy in the area of integrating the acquis communautaire;

2. calls on the Turkish government to undertake a radical reform of all legislative and regulatory provisions that violate the principle of gender equality, while ensuring the necessary mechanisms and resources for their effective implementation;

3. calls on the Commission to provide financial support to Turkey to fully align its methods of collecting and analyzing statistical data with applicable European standards. It calls on the Turkish government to process gender-disaggregated statistics in a manner consistent with that used by the European Community, in order to enhance awareness of issues, facilitate comparisons, and monitor the progress of equality in other countries;

4. calls on the Commission and the Council to link the enlargement process with the implementation of effective measures to prevent and combat violence and sexual exploitation of women and to address the issue of domestic violence, as well as Turkey’s role as a transit country regarding trafficking in human beings. To this end, it requests appropriate European financial and technical assistance to Turkey; it calls on the Commission, in cooperation with member states and candidate countries, to take effective measures to promote networks and collaborations among police, judicial, migration, and social authorities, non-governmental organizations, and international organizations;

5. demands that special attention be given to the upgrading of education and vocational training, as well as school attendance, as essential steps to increase female employment, particularly in urban centers. Funding for the implementation of the “Socrates,” “Leonardo da Vinci,” and “Youth for Europe” programs should specifically focus on these issues;

6. calls on the Commission to fully promote Turkey’s participation in community programs that strengthen the principle of gender equality, particularly in the program related to the Community Framework Strategy for Gender Equality (2001-2005), as well as in the “STOP” and “DAPHNE” programs for combating violence against women;

7. urges Turkey to implement the Council recommendation of December 2, 1996 ^[1] on balanced participation of women and men in decision-making processes in the upcoming elections.

8. calls on the Turkish government to proceed with the constitutional enshrinement of the principle of gender equality through a relevant amendment to the country’s Constitution.

^[1] ΕΕ L 319, 10.12.1996, p. 11.