Turkey debate heats up in Europe

From Thursday to Sunday, citizens of the 25 member-states of the enlarged EU will elect 732 members to the Strasbourg-based European Parliament. In reality, these are 25 national elections that are to be fought mainly on domestic issues.

Conservatives in France, Germany, Austria and Hungary have campaigned on a "No to Turkey" platform, as have many far-right parties in several European states. However, diplomats say it is unlikely to stop the bloc’s leaders from agreeing to the opening of accession talks with Ankara in December if the executive European Commission reports in October that Turkey has complied with the EU’s criteria on democracy and human rights.

Turkey’s membership in the EU was agreed upon a long time ago, the EU’s Enlargement Commissioner Guenter Verheugen was quoted as saying on Saturday.

"Without prejudging the commission, I can say today that Turkey is changing at high speed and that much of what we have been asking of them for years is now being realized," Verheugen said. But he warned that even if EU leaders decided at the end of the year to begin negotiations, it would still take time before they could start formally and years before they were completed.

"The process of negotiation, which will possibly be decided at the end of the year, will take a long time, and even if the EU member-states take a positive decision it will take some time to prepare for the negotiations," Verheugen added. His remarks highlighted a contrast with the major theme of the conservative parties’ election campaigns, which opposes the idea of Turkey joining the EU.

Austria’s center-right government coalition, which includes Joerg Haider’s anti-immigrant Freedom Party (FPO), has long been reserved about Ankara’s bid, and opposition has been fuelled by the campaign for European Parliament elections next week.

"Turkey in the EU? Not with me!" proclaim campaign posters of the FPO’s leading candidate, Hans Kronberger, who cites "massive cultural and religious differences."

Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel’s conservative People’s Party has come out against full Turkish EU membership while supporting some kind of special ties. The opposition Social Democrats say no entry for now, and only the Greens are for Turkey in the EU.

In France, the governing conservative UMP party has come out against Turkish accession, while President Jacques Chirac has taken a cautious stance.

Last week, when EU ambassadors had a first discussion about a draft declaration to be issued at the 25-nation bloc’s first post-enlargement summit on June 17-18, EU countries faced an attempt by Austria to water down the EU’s commitment to promptly open entry talks with Turkey if it meets the political conditions.

On Thursday, the Irish EU presidency put forward a summit text that would say: "The Union reaffirmed its commitment that if the European Council decides in December 2004, on the basis of a report and recommendation from the commission, that Turkey fulfils the Copenhagen political criteria, the EU will open accession negotiations with Turkey without delay."

The draft also welcomed significant progress by Turkey on reforms, stressed the importance of implementing them on the ground and praised Ankara’s positive contribution to U.N. efforts to solve the Cyprus problem.

Diplomats said Austria demanded a complete reformulation, removing any reference to starting talks "without delay" but found scant backing.

Polls over the past year have found between 56 and 70 percent of Austrians opposed to Turkish membership in the EU.

Greek Cypriot obstacle
Only new member Cyprus, represented by the Greek Cypriot Nicosia government following the failure of a U.N. peace effort in April, lent some support to Austria.

Turkish newspapers reported that the Greek Cypriot delegates put reservations on the Turkey paragraph of the text, complaining about Turkey’s decision to extend its customs union agreement to all of the 10 new members except Greek Cyprus.

The text is due to be discussed once again on June 10 before it is eventually sent to the summit.

Cyprus no barrier to Turkey’s bid
In his Saturday remarks, Verheugen also said the division of Cyprus would not play a decisive role in the executive’s report in October on whether to start membership talks with Turkey.

"Turkey has demonstrated its will to find a solution on the basis of the United Nations peace plan. That counts," Verheugen said, referring to U.N. plans to reunify the island endorsed in April by the Turkish Cypriots but rejected by the Greek Cypriots.

"However, everyone in Europe would welcome it if Turkey were to reduce its forces in the northern part [of the island]," he added in an interview with Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper.