Tuesday, 23 December 2008
On which issue Turkey has recently focused is its internal politics and the PKK issue in terms of fight against terrorism, which have caused Turkey to back out off the EU agenda. It seems that even though the Turkish government published its “National Program for adoption of the EU acquis communautaire” in April 2007 and went through its revision in September, it could not stick to its program as expected. Similarly, Turkey’s 2007 Progress Report, published by the European Commission, indicated that Turkey has been in a slowing down process for reforms. In terms of EU-Turkey relations which seems to be in a stagnation period, it is possible to state that the EU is tolerant toward Turkey’s such period despite the fact that the report includes recommendations in the direction of speeding up the reform process. Even, in this sense, The Independent newspaper mentioned the timing of the report is mistaken even if the points on which the report has brought some critics are in fact feasible. On which point the foreign press come to an accommodation is of the fact that Turkey is in harsh period due to an increase in terrorism; however it does not mean that Turkey’s integration to the EU has to be suspended, since both Turkey and the EU get benefits from this process even though the membership does not seem soon.
While Turkey has engaged with the increasing terrorism and the Progress Report left in the shadow of the internal politics, the EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn also made his first emphasis on the PKK terror in Turkey while declaring the Progress Report and Report on 2007-2008 Strategic Objectives and Main Challenges in a press conference. Such an emphasis coming from Rehn has reflected the press as the expression that the EU also gives importance to the issue. Rehn’s PKK condemnation in the press conference has similarly found a ground in the Progress Report. Whereas there is no mention about Turkey’s probable operation to the Northern Iraq against PKK in the report, the EU has showed its support to Turkey for fighting against terrorism by stating “the PKK is on the EU list of terrorist organizations”.
Then what else the Progress Report has briefly included? Which topics loom large in the EU report? If looked over, it would easily be realized that there is no surprise or no point more than the part leaking to the press before the Report was officially published. The main issues that the EU has highlighted in terms of political criteria and enhanced political dialogue are of civilian oversight of the security forces, human rights, minority rights and Additional Protocol. In a detailed form, the EU has displayed aforementioned points by stating limited progress. The only issue which is in no progress has showed the implementation of the Additional Protocol on which the Turkish and Greek Cypriots are in disagreement because of the EU’s and mostly Greek ignorance the situation of the Turkish Cypriots in the island.
The Parliamentary elections which were held in July is the part the EU has appreciated for its pluralist characterization and showing high level of public confidence. It is importantly stated that the newly-elected parliament is now more representative of the country’s political diversity. Nevertheless, Turkey could not escape from a critic on the rate of threshold which is % 10 to be expected lowered. Another emphasis has also been made on the government program including a strong commitment to continue reforms, despite the slowing down reforms due to several internal problems.
After the declaration of the Progress Report, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also evaluated the report within the intense agenda by stating that the aim of EU membership and determination of the Turkish side on the continuation of the reforms has still been over there and going on. And there became a statement that the negotiations between Turkey and the EU should not be reduced to just a simpler the Additional Protocol issue.
However, it is possible to indicate that neither public nor press has waited and then reacted to the Progress Report as much as they did in the previous years. It is obvious that both the presidential and parliamentary elections and the latest increasing terrorist activities and therefore changing agenda in Turkey are the leading reasons of the mentioned lack of enthusiasm. However, it is also essential to mention the role of the EU as one of the important reasons for the stagnation in the EU relations and lack of enthusiasm towards the EU membership. Changes in leaderships in the EU member states and their use of Turkey’s membership for the sake of their internal politics, especially Sarkozy, have caused both to change in Turkish public approach and to increase in skepticism against the EU. In an environment in which sincerity of both sides are being questioned, statements being made for the internal politics have played a role of decreasing in trust and enthusiasm. Actually, both the Turkish and EU sides seem to be satisfied with the stagnant process for now. This is mostly because whereas Turkey has engaged with its internal problems, the EU have tried to get rid of the fact of being enlargement fatigue and tried to make regulations to maintain its welfare society which seems in a crisis recently. For, the Union, which has not still overcome its legitimacy crisis and can not manage to motivate its society for cohesion to either deepening or enlargement process, seems not to be eager to a new enlargement in short term.
However, despite changing priorities of the EU and changing agenda in Turkey, both sides are aware of the importance of the continuity of the reform process in Turkey. For that reason, it is possible to expect revitalization for the relations. Because, in 2008, the EU would have managed to overcome the constitution crisis to some extent thanks to Reform Treaty and the member states would have mostly finished their election periods as well as Turkey. Moreover, hopefully, in Turkey, the hot agenda being engaged with terrorism would have got cold to some extent. In such period, Turkey’s determination on the continuation of the reform process on the EU path would find more chance to come into the agenda.
08 November 2007
Fatma YILMAZ, ISRO researcher
EU Studies Desk
Fatma Yilmaz , JTW EU Correspondent
fatma@turkishweekly.net
