16
Jun
2026
Watch
2025 Commission report on Türkiye (debate)
Mr President, colleagues, thank you, dear rapporteur Sánchez Amor. When this report was adopted, we denounced the arrest of Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and the removal of 28 elected mayors. Today it's worse: recently, a court in Ankara annulled the CHP Congress and removed its leader, Özgür Özel. They did not strike down one man, they decapitated an entire opposition party. And what do we do? We adopt strong texts, then send our officials to Ankara to shake hands and look away. Turkey is still officially a candidate to join Europe, and Europe is its first trading partner. How can we tolerate this? Enough. I call for the Justice Minister to be sanctioned by the European Commission. What is missing is the courage to act. I have served as a mayor. I know what it means to answer to your voters. İmamoğlu knows it too. That is why he is in prison. Those who stay silent have already chosen the wrong side. Democracy is under attack in Turkey. The Turkish people have continued to protest for months. And we stand for the Turkish people, we stand for the rule of law, we stand for a republic in Turkey.