Published: Wednesday 9 December 2009
The European Union will open accession talks with Turkey in one new policy area, but regrets the lack of progress made in Ankara's relations with Cyprus, EU foreign ministers said on 8 December.
- Code: Select all
Background:
Foreign ministers gathered in Brussels on 7-8 December, for a meeting which for the first time was be called by two new titles, the 'General Affairs Council' and 'Foreign Affairs Council' (GAC & FAC), replacing the previous 'General Affairs and External Relations' (GAERC) Council. The changes are prompted by the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty and the advent of an EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security (EurActiv 07/12/09).
The meetings, chaired by the Swedish EU Presidency, prepare for the 10-11 December EU summit, where a number of decisions on enlargement issues are expected to be taken among discussions on other topics such as the Copenhagen climate talks.
However, Macedonia hopes of being given a date for starting accession negotiations have been dashed by the lack of progress in its 'name dispute' with Greece (EurActiv 08/12/09).
As for Serbia, the EU half-opened its doors by activating an interim trade agreement and pledging to unfreeze the Stabilisation and Association Agreement in the first half of next year, made conditional on further progress in Serbia's cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (EurActiv 08/12/09).
Ministers decided talks should start on the environment but that eight other policy areas, known as chapters, would stay frozen due to Turkey's failure to comply with a 2005 agreement to open its ports and airports to EU member Cyprus.
"Eight chapters are frozen because of the non-compliance by Turkey [...] and they cannot be opened because Turkey is not complying," EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn told a news conference.
Turkey's frustration has mounted over what it considers slow progress in its accession talks, which are closely watched by foreign investors for any sign of problems.
Ankara says it will open up to traffic from the Greek Cypriot southern part of Cyprus if the EU ends the isolation of Turkish Cypriot north of the island. Turkish Cypriots declared an independent state in 1983 but only Turkey recognises it.
In a statement issued after Tuesday's meeting, the 27 EU ministers expressed "deep regret" over the absence of an improvement in Turkey's relations with Cyprus. But they took no new action to restrict talks beyond the eight areas frozen in 2006 and five which have been set aside at France's insistance.
Countries seeking to join the EU must hold negotiations to ensure they bring domestic laws into line with EU rules. Turkey has opened 11 chapters out of 35 since starting talks in 2005.
Mixed message
The EU has welcomed Turkey's progress in some reform areas, such as the judiciary and relations with the military, but wants more done in other areas such as human rights and freedom of expression and religion.
It often mixes praise with criticism of Turkey because it wants to encourage reforms and sees Ankara as a potentially important energy transit partner, offering an alternative to Russia as a source of supplies.
The EU also hopes to avoid doing anything that might disrupt talks on the reunification of Cyprus, a Mediterranean island divided in a Turkish invasion in 1974 that was triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup.
Cyprus' foreign minister, Markos Kyprianou, expressed satisfaction with Tuesday's decision but said Cyprus intended to set conditions for the opening of six future chapters to secure Turkey's compliance with the 2005 agreement.
"We are not blocking the chapters," he told reporters. "But we will be introducing conditions for the opening of each chapter."
The conditions would be related to Turkey's broad EU obligations but gave no details on how compliance would be measured, Kyprianou added.
(EurActiv with Reuters.)
Positions:
"Turkey won't bow to the demands of every EU member state," EU Affairs Minister and chief negotiator Egemen Bagiş was quoted as saying by the Turkish press.
"Turkey joining the European Union would benefit both sides, but Ankara won't do anything asked for by any member of the bloc just to get in, said Bagiş. In a televised interview with the BBC, Bagis stated that Turkey has the world's 16th-largest economy.
Asked whether Turkey will leave the EU process after it gains enough strength, Bagiş said: "Turkey is not going to surrender to all demands of each and every member country of the EU just because we want to become a part of this club."
He added: "The European Union needs Turkey just as much as Turkey needs the EU; this is a relationship based on a win-win situation. Either we all win or we have to look at the situation."
Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat said he is opposed to Turkey unilaterally opening its ports and airports to Greek Cyprus because Greek Cypriots would think they could gain concessions without agreeing to a peace settlement in Cyprus, the Turkish daily Zaman reported.
"This is very dangerous. [The] opening of ports and airports should be kept to either a solution or to lifting the isolation of Turkish Cypriots simultaneously," Talat told reporters on Monday.
Talat, who had talks with British Premier Gordon Brown during a stay in London, also said he saw a good chance of reaching a peace deal with the Greek Cypriots and warned it would be a disaster for the ethnically split island if the negotiations broke down.
"I believe that now we have a good chance because [Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris] Christofias wants a solution, I want a solution," Talat said, calling for greater support for the process from the international community. The Turkish Cypriot leader said a collapse of the latest talks would be a "disaster [in] my opinion" and added: "First of all, the island will be permanently divided, because [...] such convenient conditions might not come again," he stated.
http://www.euractiv.com/en/enlargement/ ... cle-188158
What could be the pre-conditions of Greek side for opening the frozen chapters?
- Opening the ports?
impossible before the isolations end one way or another...
Peasant lady thinks she s a star now.
