ISTANBUL: Turkey’s entry into the European Union is a long way off despite a generally favourable report card by the European Commission. Some wonder if it will ever happen.
“They don’t want us. They’ll never take us,” says Gunes Kurtulan, a Britain-educated restaurant owner in Istanbul’s swank Cihangir district. “We are not ready for them anyway.”
Her comments, in line with the views of many other ‘persons in the street’ came after the European Commission praised Turkey in its enlargement report on Wednesday as being on the right road for accession talks.
The European Commission (EC), the executive arm of the European Union, praised the reforms introduced by the Turkish government to meet its criteria to join the EU. This was the best report on Turkey since it approached the EU 40 years ago.
In the course of a year, the government with its Muslim roots has enacted legislation including abolition of the death penalty, extending education and broadcast rights to minorities, and reducing the role of the military in politics.
But there was a twist in the tail.
The EC report also cited slow and insufficient implementation of reforms. And for the first time, the EC formally expressed the political reality that Turkey’s accessions talks — not to mention membership — hinge on a resolution of the Cyprus impasse.
The EU will review Turkey’s status in December 2004. But in effect Turkey has until May 2004 to find a solution in a Cyprus divided between a breakaway Turkish Cypriot Republic in the north and the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot government in the south.
In May next year the southern part will join the EU and be considered as representing the entire island. This would further isolate the northern part that in effect could be considered an EU nation under occupation by an aspiring member.
The island has been divided since 1974 when Turkey took a third of it after a Greek-inspired coup to unite the island with Greece.
Efforts at reunification have been fruitless. The Turkish side rejected a United Nations plan earlier this year that would have created a federal state with loose power.
The inclusion of the Cyprus dispute in the strategy section of the EC report dismayed Turkey, since the Cyprus issue is not a formal precondition for Turkey’s accession talks with the EU.
The EC acknowledged that while the two issues may be separate in a strict sense, they are linked politically. Its report said that “the absence of a settlement (on Cyprus) could become a serious obstacle to Turkey’s EU aspirations.”
Turkey tried in vain until the last minute to have this sentence dropped. EU Commissioner Guenter Verheugen called the link ‘a new step’.
The Turkish government officially welcomed the report as “objective and balanced”. It promised to speed up implementation of reforms, and to work for a solution on Cyprus by May 1, 2004.
Parliamentary elections in the northern part of Cyprus Dec 14 may bring in a coalition of parties willing to go along with the UN plans and re-open talks.
Turkey is concerned that once in the EU, the southern Greek Cypriots may veto Turkey’s talks on entry. But the overwhelming fear is that the EU may say no to Turkey even if it finds an accord on Cyprus.
Fears are often expressed that the EU may not want a Muslim nation with a population of 70 million to join what many Turks call a ‘Christian Club’.
The EU officially rejects culture or religion as an obstacle. Some EU officials see Turkey as a bridge between East and West, bringing together Christianity and Islam.
An expert sees membership; as delayed but not denied. The EU is “not embracing Turkey,” says national commentator Mehmet Ali Birand. “They never will, but Turkey will be a member despite that.”
The EU is ‘worried’, he says, because reforms are moving ahead in Turkey to meet EU criteria. Turkey could be ready for accession talks in 2005 and membership within a decade, and there could be no objections if its case is judged objectively.
Surveys show that more than 60 per cent of Turks favour EU membership. The ruling party, with a comfortable majority in Parliament, has made EU membership its priority. It can pass any legislation to bring Turkey to meet EU criteria, even if doubts persist on the readiness of the people.
Not all reform legislation has been welcomed wholeheartedly. Some reforms are reportedly being delayed by the entrenched bureaucracy, such as implementation of new laws on human rights. These include the rights of defendants and minorities, mainly the Kurds that make up 20 per cent of the population.—Dawn/The InterPress News Service.
