WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3527/98 by Anna KARAMANOU to the Council. Decision by the Turkish administration to dismiss the supervisory committee of the Patriarchal Theological School of Chalki
Date: 1998-11-13
Institutions: European Parliament, KARAMANOU
Subjects: EU relations, Türkiye, accession to the European Union, civil rights, freedom of religious beliefs, human rights, protection of minorities, theology

C 182/92

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

28.6.1999

(1999/C 182/123)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3527/98

by Anna Karamanou (PSE) to the Council

(13 November 1998)

Subject: Decision by the Turkish administration to dismiss the supervisory committee of the Patriarchal

Theological School of Chalki

The Turkish administration recently took the arbitrary decision to dismiss the supervisory committee of the
Patriarchal Theological School of Chalki. At the same time the Directorate-General for Public Welfare
Foundations in Turkey wishes to oblige the Oecumenical Patriarchate and the Synod to obtain the ‘permission’
of the supervisory committee before undertaking even the most insignificant action in the monastery. These
decisions prove that equality before the law, justice and religious freedom which are guaranteed by the Turkish
Constitution exist only on paper.

Will the Council say how it intends to intervene to safeguard democratic freedoms and religious rights in
Turkey, in view of the critical discussions concerning the Commission report on progress in relations between
the EU and Turkey?

Reply

(8 February 1999)

1.
The Council regrets the situation of human rights in Turkey, including freedom of expression in religious
matters, and is well aware that under the Treaty of Lausanne signed in July 1923, the Turkish Government has
undertaken to grant full protection to churches, synagogues, cemeteries, and other religious establishments of
non-Moslem minorities.

The Council is concerned about the developments related to the Halki Patriarchal School of Theology. The
Austrian Federal President raised the issue personally during the official visit to Vienna by the President of
Turkey, Mr Demirel, on 17-19 November 1998.

In line with the European Parliament’s request made to the Council in the context of the Parliament’s
2.
assent to implement the final phase of the customs union, the Council monitors human rights and democratic
developments in Turkey. The European Council, meeting in Luxembourg on 12-13 December 1997 recalled
the Council position expressed at the Association Council with Turkey on 29 April 1997, that strengthening
Turkey’s links with the EU also depended on Turkey’s alignment of human rights standards and practices with
those in force in the EU as well as respect for and protection of minorities.

3.
The respect of human rights is particularly important for countries which have applied for EU
membership. In this context, the Commission’s report of 4 November 1998 on Turkey’s progress towards
EU accession, based on Article 28 of the Association Agreement, acknowledged the Turkish Government’s
public commitment to combat human rights violations, but noted that this had not yet had any significant
effect in practice.

(1999/C 182/124)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3529/98

by Mirja Ryynänen (ELDR) to the Commission

(13 November 1998)

Subject: Proposed Netherlands legislation on the certification of wood and wood products

The lower house of the Netherlands Parliament has adopted a legislative initiative on the compulsory labelling
of wood and wood products based on the way in which the timber was produced. Under this initiative, wood
which can be shown to have been produced in accordance with the principles of sustainable development, and
products made from such wood, will be labelled with a green label, while others are given a red label.