mr president i too would like to congratulate the rapporteur on this very good report which also shows how important a trade partner turkey is for the eu and vice versa and how important the customs union is
there are still lots of problems which we have to tackle on both sides in turkey and the eu
in turkey there is a great need to strengthen among other things workers rights
but there are also problems we need to address here in the european union with one being visa liberalisation we should liberalise visas not only for lorry drivers and business people but also for students tourists and other people in order to strengthen cooperation not only between states but also between people
as for the free trade agreements we need to involve turkey fully at the negotiating table since it too is very much affected by the free trade agreements
in general our relationship with turkey should be guided by fairness and that includes the very clear statement that the eu is committed to its promises and will welcome turkey as an eu member as soon as the copenhagen criteria are fulfilled
