Turkish delight: Talks on EU membership will be long, hard and necessary
The Times, UK
Dec 18 2004
The deal is done. After two days of extremely tough negotiations,
the European Union has agreed terms for the opening next October
of accession talks that, in ten years’ time, could lead to Turkey’s
return to a continent over which it held regional sway for 500 years.
Turkey would rejoin Europe not as an Ottoman conqueror but as the
largest member of the EU, extending Europe’s borders deep into
the Middle East to Iraq, Iran and Syria. It is an historic and
controversial step. For although Turkey is a founder member of Nato,
a vital Western ally and a regional power that has sought to link
its destiny to Europe for more than 40 years, membership would change
not only the EU’s strategic balance, but its culture, character and
future. Despite domestic opposition, religious prejudices and enormous
costs, EU leaders have taken the right decision. Accession talks do
not imply automatic membership, however — nor should they. Turkey has
taken strides, especially under Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Government,
towards compliance with the so-called Copenhagen criteria. It has
introduced nine separate packages of constitutional and legislative
reform. They have included the abolition of the death penalty,
measures to combat torture and improvements in minority rights such
as freedom to study in Kurdish. The military is, ostensibly, under
civilian control. Restrictions on freedom of expression have been
generally removed. And Ankara has, painfully, had to set aside 30
years’ intransigence and agree a compromise that implies de facto
recognition of the Greek Cypriot Government.
But there is more to do. Torture has not been eradicated. The military
still wields backstage influence. The eco- nomy trails far behind the
poorest EU members. Constitutional changes and political freedoms are
not yet sufficiently embedded to be irreversible. Negotiations will
be long and difficult, and few people, including the Turks, expect
the country to qualify for membership for ten years. The EU has,
understand-ably, set tough conditions. What cannot be countenanced
are the possible attempts, even now, to derail the talks. Issues
will be raised in the hope that they will become obstacles: a
Turkish apology for the Armenian genocide, Kurdish autonomy and a
settlement in Cyprus. Some countries are still hoping for a permanent
restriction on the free movement of Turkish labour to prevent mass
migration, when Turks may well have concerns about a mass migration
of Northern Europeans to its warmer climes. And although the goal is
full membership, the declaration in Brussels that, in case of failure,
Turkey must still be anchored to Europe hardly offers a good prospect
for the talks opening under Britain’s EU presidency.
What lies behind these conditions and hestitations is the fear of a
backlash by European voters. The issue is Islam. Rising hostility
to Muslims in Europe’s midst has led to social tensions that some
fear would be exacerbated by the admission of a Muslim country to
a union of countries sharing a Christian heritage. Such opposition
is in- appropriate. Turkey is an example of moderate Islam’s ability
to flourish in a secular state. Its admission would send a signal of
the EU’ s commitment to diversity and universal values. For centuries
the Ottoman empire shaped Europe and shared its heritage. Turkey’s
moderation, energy and creativity are needed in the Europe of tomorrow.
–Boundary_(ID_NHTgHpoXMqt0v1QAmBnW0Q)–