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EurasiaNet Organization
Dec 15 2004
TURKEY APPLIES LAST-MINUTE PRESSURE FOR EU "YES" DECISION
Mevlut Katik 12/15/04
On the eve of a crucial summit that may determine the outcome of
Turkey's 41-year campaign for European Union membership, Brussels has
mulled fresh conditions for Ankara to meet before accession talks
could begin. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayipp Erdogan was sharply
critical of proposed new criteria, cautioning the EU that it would be
making a "historic mistake" if it rebuffed Turkey's membership bid.
Among the most sensitive draft conditions reportedly under
consideration by the EU's Dutch presidency is a stipulation that
Turkey recognize 10 countries -- including Cyprus, which joined the
EU in May -- as members of the bloc before membership talks can
begin. Such a move would amount to de facto recognition of Cyprus
itself - a difficult demand for Ankara to meet given its own support
of the self-declared Turkish Cypriot state in the north of the
island.
In a statement to the Turkish parliament on December 14, Foreign
Minister Abdullah Gul rejected recognition of Cyprus in any form
while a peace deal for the island, divided between Turkish and Greek
Cypriots since 1973, remains unsigned. "Turkey will not take any
steps which would mean recognizing [Cyprus] directly or indirectly,"
Gul said.
What that will mean for Turkey's membership bid remains unclear, but
already a lobbying campaign is underway to block the imposition of
fresh EU conditions. Also in Ankara's sights: a suggestion for a
so-called "privileged membership" as a fallback in case accession
talks with Ankara fail. Removal of permanent caps on the free
movement of Turkish workers within the EU is another goal.
Turkish and international media have reported Erdogan as telling EU
envoys that Ankara will reject the EU if it offers membership with
strings attached. "We have said on several occasions that we will not
accept a decision that is not based on a perspective of full
membership and which offers special status," Erdogan told members of
his Justice and Development Party on December 14. "I believe the EU
will not undersign a historic mistake which will weaken its own
foundations and will make a decision in line with Turkey's
expectations."
Erdogan and Gul are scheduled to fly to Brussels on Wednesday for
last-minute talks with EU leaders ahead of the summit, which is
scheduled to begin December 16. A final decision on Turkey's
membership bid - widely expected to be affirmative - should be made
public the next day.
Obstacles beyond the criteria under consideration by the EU
presidency could hamper Turkey's accession efforts. Critics within
the EU believe that attempting to integrate a Muslim majority country
such as Turkey with a relatively poor population of 70 million could
cause excessive turmoil. Of particular concern is what low-cost
Turkish workers would mean for the EU's moribund labor markets.
France has been perhaps the most outspoken opponent of EU membership
for Turkey. As part of Turkey's membership negotiations, the French
government has announced that it might consider questioning Turkey
about the Ottoman Empire's 1915-1917 mass killing of roughly 1.5
million Armenians. In announcing French intentions on December 14,
Foreign Minister Michel Barnier described the Ottoman action as
"genocide," a controversial term likely to further spark Erdogan's
ire. [For additional information see the Eurasia Insight archive].
French President Jacques Chirac planned to make a televised address
on December 15 to explain his support for Turkey's accession, but has
promised that France would hold a national referendum on the issue
once membership talks with Ankara were completed. Meanwhile, Austria
has proposed that EU leaders make clear to Turkey that membership
talks will not have a guaranteed outcome.
Ankara is already smarting from a series of conditions attached to an
EU progress report on Turkey's membership bid, released October 6.
[For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. In its report, the
European Commission said it needed more proof of Turkey's commitment
to reforms before it could wholeheartedly endorse Ankara's accession
to the bloc. A monitoring system was also proposed to track Turkey's
progress in ongoing legal and human rights reforms as a condition for
membership talks. In the past five years, Turkey has already
undergone a series of fast-track reforms to bring its legal code,
minority policies and political institutions in line with European
standards.
Returning from a trip to Brussels on December 10, Erdogan reasserted
the claim that the EU is discriminating against Turkey. "No other
country had to wait 41 years at the door of the EU. We have fulfilled
all the criteria, but despite this Europeans are hesitating."
Turkey has made full membership in the EU a main foreign policy goal
since it signed an association agreement, known as the Ankara
Agreement, with the bloc in 1963. A customs union agreement followed
33 years later, and in 1999, Turkey was declared an official
candidate for EU membership and asked to fulfill a set of criteria,
known as the Copenhagen Criteria, to bring the country in line with
EU political norms. The European Commission's progress report paved
the way for the final decision on Turkey's membership bid at this
week's summit. Even if accession talks begin, however, full EU
membership could take another decade, making Turkey's EU campaign a
half-century journey.
Meanwhile, in response to the conditions sought by Brussels, Turkey
has set down its own criteria. Erdogan has stated that Ankara expects
full membership talks without additional conditions to come out of
the December 16-17 summit. A concrete date for talks to begin in 2005
is also anticipated. Some Turkish media had reported that the EU may
decide instead to hold an intergovernmental conference in the second
half of 2005 to decide on a start date for talks to begin after an
initial, six-month monitoring process.
Erdogan has rejected any additional political conditions not already
included in the Copenhagen criteria, and argued that placing
permanent limitations on Turkish workers would be against EU law. The
notion of "privileged partnership" - a concept reportedly conceived
by France and Austria - was rejected "as a status that does not exist
in the EU."
Nor has Erdogan hesitated at raising the possibility of terrorism as
part of his pre-summit pressure campaign. If Turkey is not invited to
join the EU, he warned the audience at the opening of Istanbul's
Modern Art Museum on December 10, violence from Islamic terrorists
could escalate. "There is nothing we can do if the EU feels that it
can live with being simply a Christian club," Erdogan was quoted as
saying by The Times of London, "but if these countries burn their
bridges with the rest of the world, history will not forgive them."
Editor's Note: Mevlut Katik is a London-based journalist and analyst.
He is a former BBC correspondent and also worked for The Economist
group.
Dec 15 2004
TURKEY APPLIES LAST-MINUTE PRESSURE FOR EU "YES" DECISION
Mevlut Katik 12/15/04
On the eve of a crucial summit that may determine the outcome of
Turkey's 41-year campaign for European Union membership, Brussels has
mulled fresh conditions for Ankara to meet before accession talks
could begin. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayipp Erdogan was sharply
critical of proposed new criteria, cautioning the EU that it would be
making a "historic mistake" if it rebuffed Turkey's membership bid.
Among the most sensitive draft conditions reportedly under
consideration by the EU's Dutch presidency is a stipulation that
Turkey recognize 10 countries -- including Cyprus, which joined the
EU in May -- as members of the bloc before membership talks can
begin. Such a move would amount to de facto recognition of Cyprus
itself - a difficult demand for Ankara to meet given its own support
of the self-declared Turkish Cypriot state in the north of the
island.
In a statement to the Turkish parliament on December 14, Foreign
Minister Abdullah Gul rejected recognition of Cyprus in any form
while a peace deal for the island, divided between Turkish and Greek
Cypriots since 1973, remains unsigned. "Turkey will not take any
steps which would mean recognizing [Cyprus] directly or indirectly,"
Gul said.
What that will mean for Turkey's membership bid remains unclear, but
already a lobbying campaign is underway to block the imposition of
fresh EU conditions. Also in Ankara's sights: a suggestion for a
so-called "privileged membership" as a fallback in case accession
talks with Ankara fail. Removal of permanent caps on the free
movement of Turkish workers within the EU is another goal.
Turkish and international media have reported Erdogan as telling EU
envoys that Ankara will reject the EU if it offers membership with
strings attached. "We have said on several occasions that we will not
accept a decision that is not based on a perspective of full
membership and which offers special status," Erdogan told members of
his Justice and Development Party on December 14. "I believe the EU
will not undersign a historic mistake which will weaken its own
foundations and will make a decision in line with Turkey's
expectations."
Erdogan and Gul are scheduled to fly to Brussels on Wednesday for
last-minute talks with EU leaders ahead of the summit, which is
scheduled to begin December 16. A final decision on Turkey's
membership bid - widely expected to be affirmative - should be made
public the next day.
Obstacles beyond the criteria under consideration by the EU
presidency could hamper Turkey's accession efforts. Critics within
the EU believe that attempting to integrate a Muslim majority country
such as Turkey with a relatively poor population of 70 million could
cause excessive turmoil. Of particular concern is what low-cost
Turkish workers would mean for the EU's moribund labor markets.
France has been perhaps the most outspoken opponent of EU membership
for Turkey. As part of Turkey's membership negotiations, the French
government has announced that it might consider questioning Turkey
about the Ottoman Empire's 1915-1917 mass killing of roughly 1.5
million Armenians. In announcing French intentions on December 14,
Foreign Minister Michel Barnier described the Ottoman action as
"genocide," a controversial term likely to further spark Erdogan's
ire. [For additional information see the Eurasia Insight archive].
French President Jacques Chirac planned to make a televised address
on December 15 to explain his support for Turkey's accession, but has
promised that France would hold a national referendum on the issue
once membership talks with Ankara were completed. Meanwhile, Austria
has proposed that EU leaders make clear to Turkey that membership
talks will not have a guaranteed outcome.
Ankara is already smarting from a series of conditions attached to an
EU progress report on Turkey's membership bid, released October 6.
[For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. In its report, the
European Commission said it needed more proof of Turkey's commitment
to reforms before it could wholeheartedly endorse Ankara's accession
to the bloc. A monitoring system was also proposed to track Turkey's
progress in ongoing legal and human rights reforms as a condition for
membership talks. In the past five years, Turkey has already
undergone a series of fast-track reforms to bring its legal code,
minority policies and political institutions in line with European
standards.
Returning from a trip to Brussels on December 10, Erdogan reasserted
the claim that the EU is discriminating against Turkey. "No other
country had to wait 41 years at the door of the EU. We have fulfilled
all the criteria, but despite this Europeans are hesitating."
Turkey has made full membership in the EU a main foreign policy goal
since it signed an association agreement, known as the Ankara
Agreement, with the bloc in 1963. A customs union agreement followed
33 years later, and in 1999, Turkey was declared an official
candidate for EU membership and asked to fulfill a set of criteria,
known as the Copenhagen Criteria, to bring the country in line with
EU political norms. The European Commission's progress report paved
the way for the final decision on Turkey's membership bid at this
week's summit. Even if accession talks begin, however, full EU
membership could take another decade, making Turkey's EU campaign a
half-century journey.
Meanwhile, in response to the conditions sought by Brussels, Turkey
has set down its own criteria. Erdogan has stated that Ankara expects
full membership talks without additional conditions to come out of
the December 16-17 summit. A concrete date for talks to begin in 2005
is also anticipated. Some Turkish media had reported that the EU may
decide instead to hold an intergovernmental conference in the second
half of 2005 to decide on a start date for talks to begin after an
initial, six-month monitoring process.
Erdogan has rejected any additional political conditions not already
included in the Copenhagen criteria, and argued that placing
permanent limitations on Turkish workers would be against EU law. The
notion of "privileged partnership" - a concept reportedly conceived
by France and Austria - was rejected "as a status that does not exist
in the EU."
Nor has Erdogan hesitated at raising the possibility of terrorism as
part of his pre-summit pressure campaign. If Turkey is not invited to
join the EU, he warned the audience at the opening of Istanbul's
Modern Art Museum on December 10, violence from Islamic terrorists
could escalate. "There is nothing we can do if the EU feels that it
can live with being simply a Christian club," Erdogan was quoted as
saying by The Times of London, "but if these countries burn their
bridges with the rest of the world, history will not forgive them."
Editor's Note: Mevlut Katik is a London-based journalist and analyst.
He is a former BBC correspondent and also worked for The Economist
group.