On the same day that Croatia opened its final three chapters, the EU was able to give the green light to Turkey on only one, bringing the total to 13 out of 35. Yet both EU and Turkish officials tried to sound upbeat about the accession talks. The commissioner for enlargement, Stefan Füle, stated: “The EU’s credibility lies on its continued commitment to negotiations. There should be a zero doubts policy about this commitment.” Stressing that the commission is in the hands of member states and can only act within the scope of the mandate given by its members, Füle was equally critical of Turkey, saying the country’s credibility lies in its commitment to pursue reforms. “There should be a zero hesitations policy about these reforms,” he noted, signaling that Ankara should keep working on the reform path to make the commission’s job easier to handle.
The opening of the 13th chapter may have been a tiny step in a complex web of cumbersome EU bureaucracy, yet it was an important message to skeptics of EU-Turkey relations, many argued. Egemen Bağış, Turkey’s chief negotiator, said the opening of the chapter on food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy was important to win the hearts and minds of people in Turkey, where EU approval ratings are on a downward spiral. He also warned the EU on leaving Turkey out in the cold. “It is time to think ... about the cost of leaving Turkey outside,” Bağış told a press conference.
Candidate countries have to open and then close all 35 chapters of talks, bringing their own laws and institutions in line with the EU’s. Turkey has concluded only one chapter so far and opened 13. Together with France, Germany and Austria, Cyprus is blocking all but 3 of the remaining chapters. Turkey has pinned its hopes on opening the competition chapter during the Belgian presidency, which commenced on July 1.
“We have already started lobbying Belgian officials on that issue, and significant progress was made on meeting the benchmarks required for opening that chapter during the Spanish presidency,” Bağış told Sunday’s Zaman.
Persistent approach to EU talks
vsigns from Belgium confirm Bağış’s optimism about the troubled talks. Olivier Chastel, the Belgian secretary of state for EU affairs, said last week it is possible that a new chapter in negotiations with Turkey could be opened in the coming months. There is a snag here, though. Belgium has its own set of domestic problems to deal with because a caretaker government is managing the country while talks continue on the formation of a new coalition after dismal results in the elections last month.
Belgian officials insist that this will not hamper the work of the EU presidency as they have been preparing for this position for the last two years. Bağış points out that Herman Van Rompuy, the former Belgian prime minister, was appointed as the first president of the European Council after the approval of the Lisbon Treaty and suggested he may help speed up the process within the EU. Following Belgium, Hungary, another backer of Turkey’s full membership with the bloc, takes over the rotating presidency on Jan. 1, 2011.
Though the priorities of the EU may have shifted to economic and financial stability following the global economic crisis and the recent volatility of the euro stemming from the Greek crisis, the EU is expected to wrap up talks with Croatia by the end of the year, paving the way to it becoming a member in 2012. EU leaders also agreed on June 17 to open membership negotiations with Iceland despite differences over whale hunting and the collapse of its banks, which hit British and Dutch investors. These were expected to put added pressure on the EU to make further progress in Turkish membership since Croatia started accession talks in 2005, the same time as Turkey, and Iceland made its bid on July 23, 2009, four years later than Turkey.
Turkey is also campaigning to overcome the politically blocked chapters to make faster progress. Following the Greek Cypriot government’s veto on allowing Turkish Cypriots to trade with EU member states, Turkey retaliated by blocking access to its ports for Cypriot ships, which led the EU to freeze eight negotiating chapters. France is also blocking some chapters, saying unblocking them would imply eventual membership, which it opposes. Bağış slammed the EU last week, saying the resolving of the Cyprus issue had never been raised during accession talks with the UK and Greece, who both maintain troops on the divided island. “The EU even rewarded the Greek Cypriots after they voted against a UN-sponsored plan to unify the island” he said.
Amid growing woes in the West over alienating Turkey, both the EU and Turkish officials tried to portray the opening of this chapter last week as an important anchor confirming Turkey’s direction. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu predicted that there would be a new impetus for the EU drive now the chapter on food safety has been opened. He also claimed that Turkey had done what was required and completed the necessary technical procedures to align with the EU acquis. “Both sides should show a strong will to proceed, and we are willing to play our part when necessary,” Davutoglu underlined, adding that political considerations should not be a factor in technical issues.
More good news may be ahead as Turkey will be undergoing the most comprehensive changes yet in the constitutional overhaul which will happen during the Belgian presidency and which by itself could provide a major boost to its EU bid. Most changes included in the reform package adopted in Parliament and due to be submitted to public referendum on Sept. 12 are in fact changes required by the EU Commission. These include, among other things, an overhaul of the judiciary, the individual right to petition the Constitutional Court, ombudsmen to monitor citizens’ complaints about state agencies, economic and social councils to oversee the social and economic rights of citizens and union rights. The EU said it endorsed the changes and welcomed them.
The reform is currently being reviewed by Turkey’s top court and may be thrown out if the it decides to examine the issue on a substantive basis, something it does not have the power to do according to the Constitution. If that happens, it will demoralize the Turkish public and cause a loss of momentum in EU-related reforms.
Readmission agreement
Bağış has more positive news to report. He explained to Sunday’s Zaman that the framework for the readmission agreement being negotiated between the commission and Turkey is almost ready and they have overcome most hurdles on the last few remaining articles. “The text is almost ready for signature, but we will wait until the commission receives a mandate to negotiate a visa waiver agreement with Turkey,” he said, stressing that Ankara is not interested in the easing or visa facilitation procedures. “EU embassies are already offering simplified visa procedures to attract more Turkish businesses and visitors,” he said.
Turkey started issuing secure biometric passports in June, one of the requirements the commission was seeking. The government is currently working on integrating border control systems and has tasked the Interior Ministry with coming up with a draft proposal to forward to Parliament for approval.
An upcoming high-level meeting in Ankara on July 13 between Turkish and EU officials will be critical in reshaping relations between Turkey and the bloc. The focus will be on strategic aspects of Turkey’s EU membership bid. The EU’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, and Enlargement Commissioner Füle are among those who will participate in the meeting, at which Turkey will be represented by several members of the Cabinet, including Davutoğlu and Bağış.
Diplomacy
