Turkey, US Up Pressure on EU Application

The question of Turkey’s application to join the European Union is returning to centre stage as the United States upped its pressure on EU members to proceed and Turkey threatened to review its relations with the EU if a 2003 date on accession talks is not established at an EU summit in Copenhagen this December.

A draft for proceedings at the Copenhagen summit did not include discussion of setting a date for Turkish accession. And EU President Romano Prodi said last week that this would not be discussed in December.

Nonetheless, the support for a discussion on setting a date to begin talks with Turkey is growing. The news agency Reuters reported that the five biggest EU member states – Germany, France, England, Italy and Spain wanted the issue to be addressed in December.

Threats from Turkey

On Friday, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Sukru Sina Gurel was quoted by the state-run Anatolian news agency as saying, “Turkish-EU relations will be greatly damaged and Turkey will be forced to review relations with the EU in every respect if the EU side does not give it a date to begin membership talks in 2003.”

The biggest opposition comes from Scandinavian states, who say Turkey has not made enough changes on the human rights front to warrant a discussion.

In August, the Turkish Parliament adopted a number of reforms, including the abolishment of the death penalty (except in times of war). It also stopped a ban on teaching or broadcasting in the Kurdish language.

While these reforms have been applauded by EU members, many say it’s too soon to tell how effective they will be.

In addition, there will be federal elections in Turkey in November, and many in the EU are waiting on these results before making up their minds on Turkey’s application status.

Strategic location

In any case, it’s clear that the times – and opinions – are changing as Turkey’s strategic location as a gateway between Europe and the Muslim world gains importance. Many now see Turkey as a key ally in the Western fight against terrorism.

“There are many countries – including Germany – that want to send positive signals to Turkey,” German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said at last week's EU gathering in Brussels.

But at the same time, public statements by a leader of the German Christian Social Union exemplify some opponents’ views. CSU leader Michael Glos said in an interview published in the Berlin daily Der Tagesspiegel that Turkey belongs in “another cultural region.”

Shift in thinking expected

At the EU meeting, another diplomat told Reuters: “There will be a strategic shift between now and the end of the year on Turkey”, adding however, that Turkey still may not get a date until after the 10 leading candidates have joined in 2004.

The candidates expected to join in 2004 are Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Cyprus and Malta.

Indeed, there may well still be hopes for Turkey. last week, EU coordinator for foreign policy Javier Solana criticized EU President Prodi’s hard-line stance on Turkey.

In addition, the German news agency DPA reported that EU officials believe the issue may well be addressed at a March 2003 meeting in Thessaloniki, Greece.