DEMANDS FOR MORE REFORM BY TURKEY LESSEN EU MEMBERSHIP CHANCES
Dorian Jones
Voice of America
15 October 2009
Ankara
The European Commission’s annual progress report on Turkish membership
says Ankara has improved its handling of human rights issues and the
Kurdish minority. But it says that a lot more work needs to be done
for it to become an EU member. The report is being met with little
enthusiasm in Turkey as doubts over its bid to become a member
continues to grow.
The European Commission’s annual progress report on Turkish membership
said Ankara has made some improvements on handling of human rights
but said Turkey needs to speed up reforms to boost its chances of
joining the bloc.
The EU and Turkey started membership negotiations in 2005, but
they have made little progress since, while France and Germany have
expressed opposition to Turkey’s bid.
The report’s findings were welcomed by Ergemen Bagis, the cabinet
minister responsible for Turkey’s bid to join the EU.
He said the Democratic initiatives introduced by our government have
been met with praise and he said the necessity of taking concrete
steps alongside this wide ranging process is emphasized. He also said
the steps such as Turkey’s continuing dialogue with the non-muslim
communities as well as its relationship with Armenia are all included
in the report in positive terms.
But Professor Cengiz Aktar, head of European Union studies at
Istanbul’s Bachesehir University, says such reports from the commission
are becoming just an academic exercise. "Total schizophrenia. On the
one hand, Turkey is now moving and the government is moving with this
Kurdish opening and this opening towards Armenia and many other things
on its way. All is in line with the EU membership (requirements), and
the negotiations are completely stalled. It is day and night. Europe is
absent, the commission is there but the European Union member states
are not there. They are not supporting Turkey in its endeavors,"
he said.
One area of contention between both sides in yprus. A member of the
European Union since 2004, Cyprus has no diplomatic relations with
Turkey which invaded the island’s northern third after a brief Greek
inspired coup in 1974.
In its report, the EU executive arm said Turkey made no progress in
normalizing relations with Cyprus, adding that it was urgent that
Ankara open its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot traffic.
But Suat Kiniklioglu, spokesman for the Turkish parliamentary foreign
affairs committee, says Turkey won’t do so until the EU honors
it commitment to Turkish Cypriots. "Our policy is conditioned. The
European Union has told us that direct trade with Turkish Cyprus would
be established. That did not happen. As long that does not happen,
there is no way we are going to open the ports to Greek Cyprus,"
he said.
Brussels had indicated that it would lift the embargo if Turkish
Cypriots voted in favor of a U.N.-sponsored unification plan. They did,
but the Greeks rejected it.
The row over the ports could reach a head at the end of this
year. Under a protocol signed by Turkey, the country risks having the
talks suspended by the EU unless it opens its ports to Greek Cyprus
by December.
Richard Howitt of the European Parliament’s Committee on Turkey
warns that Ankara is in danger of throwing away all the good work
it has achieved so far. "I warned them that there isn’t too much
ambiguity. I would argue no ambiguity in that legal text agreed by
the council ministers. So, don’t underestimate the threat of the
talks being suspended altogether," he said.
But analysts say such a threat does not carry the weight it once did
in Turkey. Professor Aktar of Bachesehir University says the rapid
progress of EU applicant Croatia only adds to Turkish resentment. The
report gave no entry date for Croatia, but reports say the former
Yugoslav state could become the EU’s 28th member in 2012 after
ratification of its accession treaty. "Croatia, who started the
negotiation process the same day as Turkey, will probably will be
ready by the end of 2010 to become eds over 10 years to be ready at
this pace. And they are slowly losing Turkey," he said.
There have been efforts within the EU to dilute the membership talks
and redirect the cooperation between Turkey and the bloc to something
less than full membership. Turkey has seen this as a snub and reform
has not proceeded as fast as many want.