PARIS, Nov 24: A poll published in the weekend edition of French daily newspaper Le Parisien said that 55 per cent of the French oppose the arrival of Turkey as a new member of the expanded European Union that is to see the light of day on May 1, 2004. According to the poll, only 33 per cent are in favour, while 12 per cent said they do not have an opinion.

A previous poll, this one done by the EU earlier this Fall, had established that 47 per cent of the French interrogated were opposed to the enlargement of the EU to all additional 10 countries that are scheduled to join the EU in 2004, with only 40 per cent saying they were in favour, making France the only one of the 15 EU countries to have more persons opposed to enlargement than in its favour.

On Friday [November 22] at the NATO summit in Prague President Jacques Chirac attempted to play down generally negative French public opinion on the expansion of the EU by noting that Turkey “had its place in Europe,” whereas German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder added that its acceptance as a member of the EU was in the “geostrategic interest” of the organisation’s present fifteen members.

Earlier last week [November 19] a spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry had indicated that negotiations with Turkey regarding its admission to the EU “could begin” only once the country met criteria set forth at Copenhagen notably with regard to its respect of “democratic liberties” as well as of human rights. Once it can guarantee that those rights are and will be respected, said the spokesman, the negotiations process could commence.

Publication of the public opinion poll which shows a greater number of French than before opposed to Turkey’s arrival in the EU comes in the wake of a surprise declaration made earlier this month by former French president Valery Giscard d’Estaing, who is also president of the commission presently drafting a constitution for the new 25-member EU, who stated that he was adamantly opposed to inclusion of Turkey.