European Parliament Adopts Resolution Urging EU to Halt Turkey Admission Talks

The European Parliament "calls on the Commission and the Member States, in accordance with the Negotiating Framework, to formally suspend the accession negotiations with Turkey without delay if the constitutional reform package is implemented unchanged," according to resolution.

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — The European Parliament on Thursday at a plenary session in Strasbourg adopted a resolution on Turkey, which calls on the EU countries and the European Commission to immediately suspend negotiations with Ankara on the country's accession to the European Union unless the Turkish authorities make appropriate changes to the constitutional reform.

A total of 477 MEPs voted in favor of the non-binding resolution, 64 against.

The European Parliament "calls on the Commission and the Member States, in accordance with the Negotiating Framework, to formally suspend the accession negotiations with Turkey without delay if the constitutional reform package is implemented unchanged," the resolution said.

It "underlines, taking into account the remarks of the Venice Commission on the constitutional reform, that the proposed constitutional amendments do not respect the fundamental principles of the separation of powers, do not provide for sufficient checks and balances and are not in line with the Copenhagen criteria," the document said.