TURKEY’S EU BID

The European Commission’s progress report will soon be published. As a matter of fact, some parts of the report are already being leaked to the press. There are some warnings. The commission, a bureaucratic body, is in favor of Turkey’s membership, whereas the council, made up of European leaders, is cooler. In other words, some countries favor Turkey’s membership, while others do not. Which are in the later camp? The list varies depending on when you ask, but we can’t say that Luxembourg, Denmark or Austria have a positive stance, even if they don’t state this openly. Germany’s take is different. It wants to gloss over the issue with a “special membership status.” Whatever that means… Therefore all reports before December will be positive. Will the economic balances right themselves if Turkey gets a date for talks? No, but many hope so. The main risk lies in not getting a date. A development contrary to expectations would be very powerful, and the balances would be shaken. And some believe that foreign investment would rise if Turkey gets date for accession talks. I think that none of this will happen. The expectations are exaggerated.

What can Turkey do to promote a positive council decision? The main opposition, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), has a large duty. Socialists in Europe tend to favor Turkey’s membership more. Therefore, the CHP could motivate them to be more active. The government has to explain the political and social benefits to Europe from Turkey’s membership. Efforts to sway public opinion would be especially effective, but this is a difficult task with an Islamic government in power.

Some claim that EU’s requests could cause a split in Turkey. It’s true that it’s not easy to carry through EU requests in Turkey, because our nation has unique problems and troubles. These requests, however, weren’t made for Turkey alone. All of them are common rules. Therefore, implementing them despite all difficulties is inevitable, because this will be work to our favor. Turkey’s political and social direction lies in the West, and Europe.”