During the EP plenary session (13 - 16 March 2017) in Strasbourg,&nbsp;Antonio TAJANI, EP President, Donald TUSK, President of the European Council and Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President of the EC, express themselves on the attacks by Recep Erdoğan, Turkish President against the Netherlands' position.

TAJANI, Antonio (EPP, IT)

statement

Strasbourg

plenary session

EU - Türkiye (T)

JUNCKER, Jean-Claude (LU)

TUSK, Donald (PL)

Statements by Antonio TAJANI, EP President, Donald TUSK, President of the European Council and Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President of the EC, on the attacks by Recep Erdoğan, Turkish President against The Netherlands' position

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Antonio TAJANI, EP President, I will like to recall that today in The Netherlands people are voting. No one can offend a country going to the elections, offending the values we all recognise. We are more than simple currency and the market. It&rsquo;s on that basis that we have to start again. That&rsquo;s why today&rsquo;s debate is of particular importance, we cannot simply have a formal ceremony to recall the best 60 years of free Europe. The anniversary of the sinning of the Treaty of Rome must first be an opportunity to bring Europe closer to its citizens. We have to give specific responses to unemployment, youth unemployment in particular, terrorism and migration, by promoting our values to the world.

SOUNDBITE (English), Donald TUSK, President of the European Council, The Netherlands is Europe, and today I want to say that Europe is The Netherlands, a place of freedom and democracy, and for sure Rotterdam, the city of Erasmus, brutally destroyed by the Nazis&rsquo;, which today has a mayor born in Morocco. If anyone sees fascism in Rotterdam, they are completely detached by reality. Applause

SOUNDBITE (Dutch), Donald TUSK, President of the European Council, We all show solidarity with The Netherlands. Out of respect, for our friends in The Netherlands, let me repeat this in Dutch: The Netherlands is Europe, and today I want to say that Europe is the Netherlands, a place of freedom and democracy, and for sure Rotterdam, the city of Erasmus, brutally destroyed by the Nazism, which today has a mayor born in Morocco. If anyone sees fascism in Rotterdam, they are completely detached by reality. We all show solidarity with The Netherlands, yes we are Europeans. Applause.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President of the EC, I was scandalised by what has been coming from Turkey, on The Netherlands, on Germany, and on others. I will never accept this comparison between the Nazis and the now governments. You know, my home country, Luxembourg, was occupied by the Nazis, our people were suffering, my father was forced into the German army together with his three brothers, if you are establishing a comparison of that period with our times, this is totally unacceptable, and the one who is doing this is taking distance from Europe, and not training to enter the European Union. European Union is not joining Turkey, is Turkey joining the European Union. Applause.