In June 2007, “Turkey and Turkey alone sets the rhythm of reforms. It can be a quick samba, it can be a slow waltz – but the band and the music must not stop, otherwise the process will lose momentum and credibility” said Olli Rehn, Commissioner for Enlargement.
How the European Commission views the current rhythm is thus read in Turkey’s 2007 Progress Report, which is in line with the comments that appeared before the announcement of the report itself. In the European Commission’s November 2007 Progress Report, Turkey is called on to accelerate the reform process since there has not been any significant progress in the political reforms since 2005.Other critical aspects can also be found-none of them is a new issue- and many commentators agree upon the softer tone of the report. They explain this by Turkey’s overcoming of the political crisis in the summer by democratic methods. Another comment came, however, from Cengiz Aktar, who defined the European Commission’s current position as stuck between Turkey and European countries opposed to Turkey’s accession, which makes a tougher tone impossible.
One further point in this context is the decrease in the support for Turkey’s membership by the Turkish public. There are various surveys demonstrating this result.
Of course, this has to do with the EU’s decreasing credibility and the statements against Turkey’s membership prospect from the German Chancellor Merkel or the French president Sarkozy. Although Merkel never said that Turkey belongs inside the EU, she sometimes showed a slight change in her tone. In bilateral visits between Turkey and Germany, she never stated her support for Turkey’s membership, one of her positive statements was that Germany would not try to block the negotiations if Turkey fulfilled the criteria. In the Grand Coalition, disagreements between the foreign minister Steinmeier and Merkel occurred due to their different course on Turkey. As we could read two weeks ago, Steinmeier criticized Merkel for initially holding out the prospect of EU membership for Turkey only to withdraw it at a later stage. So, since 2005, there has been no progress in Germany’s attitude towards Turkey.
Moreover, also not in France’s attitude. Since 2005, relations with France have been volatile. Towards the end of his presidency, Jacques Chirac started to support Merkel’s view on Turkey’s accession. Now, Nicolas Sarkozy has a clearer position than Chirac and Merkel. He has not changed his view on Turkey very much; in November 2006, before the elections, he argued that Turkey’s entry into the European Union would "be the end of political Europe”.
His words summarizing the basis of his views were:
“We have a problem of integration of Muslims which raises the issue of Islam in Europe. To say it is not a problem is to hide from reality. If you let 100 million Turkish Muslims come in, what will come of it?"
and
“Turkey is in Asia Minor... I will not explain to little French school children that the frontiers of Europe are Iraq and Syria."
Today, after a year, he still does not view Turkey as European and is preparing to start the “Mediterranean Union” project, which to the contary of his pre-election vows, actually deals with the Muslim world and problematic regions. So, what would be the answer, if a little French school kid asked why France is dealing with them even though they are not their neighbours? Moreover, Sarkozy also mentions further blocking the negotiations in the future. Thus, the upcoming French EU term presidency will play a key role for the future of EU-Turkey relations. To sum it all up, the French band members do not look very enthusiastic in playing in this band.
“As for the proposition of the President Sarkozy, I am confident that any group of wise men and women will see that enlargement is not the problem but rather a vital part of the solution to many problems that the EU will face in the coming decades.
Think about energy security, climate change, cross-border crime, ageing populations and consequent labour shortages, economic competitiveness and the rise of new economic powers. In all of these areas, the progressive and well-managed integration of Turkey and the Balkans will help the European Union manage the challenges ahead effectively.”
In his interview with Euractiv, Olli Rehn responds to Sarkozy’s proposal for a council of wise men. It is important to note here, that his Mediterranean Union proposal has also led to skepticism among many European politicians.
EurActiv has also interviewed Mustafa Oğuz Demiralp, Turkish Secretary General for EU Affairs, who points to the new EU criteria like the “absorption capacity” for membership, which resulted in the loss of the EU’s credibility.
Another point in the progress report is the emphasis on the PKK as a “terrorist organization” and it also states that “Cross-border terrorist activities of the PKK, listed on the EU list of terrorist organizations, represent a security challenge to Turkey”.
The PKK is a terrorist organization whose attacks have cost thousands of lives. Although the European Union defines it as a terrorist organization since 2002 (however, the PKK begun its massive attacks in 1984! See also, http://www.turkishweekly.net/articles.php?id=217), there are still many PKK supporters in a number of European countries. Last week for example, Cem Özdemir, Green Party Member of the European Parliament, accused the German officials for not taking the necessary steps against the PKK, in an interview with Spiegel Online.
Thus, while expecting full commitment from Turkey, the European countries and consequently the EU should think of how the European attitude towards Turkey has developed since 2005. It is true that credibility can only be established through full commitment. Today, the Turkish Foreign Ministry has made a declaration and stated that Turkey has not changed its route to the EU as a “full member”. So, the rhythm may continue to be set by Turkey, but it always takes two to tango…
