Hard part of EU talks begins now
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Serkan Demirtaş
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Haziran 04, 2009 00:00
ANKARA - Turkey’s minister responsible for EU affairs reiterates the country’s commitment to full membership but predicts that progress is likely to only grow more difficult as time passes and laments the opposition’s resistance to reforms
Amid its long journey to full European Union membership, Turkey is now on the eve of a new but more difficult period with a number of benchmarks standing between the country and opening more negotiation chapters.
"We have opened nearly all the easy chapters. Now, the remaining chapters require important benchmarks that could cause trouble at home and in Europe," Egemen Bağış, chief negotiator and state minister, said Wednesday at a meeting with reporters here.
To open the chapter on social policies, the law on trade unions must be adopted, Bağış said, adding that the same goes for the chapter on the environment and the laws and regulations on waste treatment. "We are planning to open the chapter on the environment during the Swedish presidency [starting July 1]," Bağış said, while outlining the government’s priority list on the process.
The negotiations between Turkey and the EU started in 2005, but so far only 10 chapters out of 35 have been opened, mostly because of the Cyprus problem and France’s opposition to Turkey’s full membership. Eight chapters were suspended because Turkey rejects to open its ports and airports to Cyprus. France vetoed five other chapters on the grounds that they were related to Turkey’s full membership.
"For us, our reform process is much more important than the number of opened chapters. If we focus too much on the chapters, then we’ll let Brussels get behind the wheel," Bağış said. "But if we are concentrated on reforms, then the control will be in Parliament."
As Turkey’s chief negotiator said, it is becoming more difficult to open chapters with each new presidential term.
There is still a risk of failing to open even one chapter in the current Czech Republic presidency.
"We planned to open two chapters on social policies and taxation. We will be able to open the taxation if all 27 countries approve it. We have fulfilled all requirements," he said. "But with regard to social policies, we have seen that we cannot move forward in concluding works on the law on trade unions. All relevant parties, including the trade unions and employers’ union, have agreed to postpone the adoption of the law, saying they were not willing to open a new discussion while the country was struggling against the economic crisis. And we respect that."
But he said the government was still working on the law and said he was hopeful that "it would be completed very soon."
Despite his optimism, Bağış complained about the opposition parties’ efforts to slow down the legislative process in Parliament. "The law on the removal of landmines, which has just six articles, has been debated for three weeks. Now I ask myself how long it would take to conclude the Turkish Trade Act, which has 1,600 articles. There are around 30 laws pending in Parliament, and all of them are connected with the negotiation process. We ask the opposition to ease our hands just for the future of our children," he said.
When asked how the nature of the negotiations would be affected if the talks between Turkish and Greek Cypriots fail, Bağış acknowledged the fact that the Cyprus problem had cast a shadow on Turkey’s process but said he preferred to see the full part of the glass.
"We feel the tension. But we are also aware of the fact that similar tensions were solved in the past. Just like it happened in 2002, 2004 and 2005. In fall, the EU will release its Progress Report, which will not be very different from the last year’s," he said. "One difference is that its part on Cyprus will be longer."
One thing Bağış draws attention to is the fact that it is not only Turkey that failed in fulfilling its commitments. "A council decision made in 2004 requires the removal of the embargo applied on Turkish Cypriots. They are not for example allowed to trade directly with the world."
A new communication strategy
Bağış, a close aid to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was appointed chief negotiator in January as his predecessor, Ali Babacan, who was also serving as the foreign minister at that time, could no longer deal with the EU matters because of his busy schedule. Since then, Bağış said the visibility of the EU matters has increased as he traveled to Brussels five times and to Prague, the capital of current term president Czech Republic, three times.
"I see that we have a sort of communication problem. Thanks to our new communication strategy, we’ll inform more Turks about the EU and more Europeans about Turkey. Because we know that Europeans who come to Turkey even just for tourism change their minds about the country’s membership," he said.
There were 119 communication projects in place, each with separate themes, Bağış said. "I have also talked with former and current education ministers," he said. "We’re planning to add the EU to the curriculum to enlighten the youth."
"We have opened nearly all the easy chapters. Now, the remaining chapters require important benchmarks that could cause trouble at home and in Europe," Egemen Bağış, chief negotiator and state minister, said Wednesday at a meeting with reporters here.
To open the chapter on social policies, the law on trade unions must be adopted, Bağış said, adding that the same goes for the chapter on the environment and the laws and regulations on waste treatment. "We are planning to open the chapter on the environment during the Swedish presidency [starting July 1]," Bağış said, while outlining the government’s priority list on the process.
The negotiations between Turkey and the EU started in 2005, but so far only 10 chapters out of 35 have been opened, mostly because of the Cyprus problem and France’s opposition to Turkey’s full membership. Eight chapters were suspended because Turkey rejects to open its ports and airports to Cyprus. France vetoed five other chapters on the grounds that they were related to Turkey’s full membership.
"For us, our reform process is much more important than the number of opened chapters. If we focus too much on the chapters, then we’ll let Brussels get behind the wheel," Bağış said. "But if we are concentrated on reforms, then the control will be in Parliament."
As Turkey’s chief negotiator said, it is becoming more difficult to open chapters with each new presidential term.
There is still a risk of failing to open even one chapter in the current Czech Republic presidency.
"We planned to open two chapters on social policies and taxation. We will be able to open the taxation if all 27 countries approve it. We have fulfilled all requirements," he said. "But with regard to social policies, we have seen that we cannot move forward in concluding works on the law on trade unions. All relevant parties, including the trade unions and employers’ union, have agreed to postpone the adoption of the law, saying they were not willing to open a new discussion while the country was struggling against the economic crisis. And we respect that."
But he said the government was still working on the law and said he was hopeful that "it would be completed very soon."
Despite his optimism, Bağış complained about the opposition parties’ efforts to slow down the legislative process in Parliament. "The law on the removal of landmines, which has just six articles, has been debated for three weeks. Now I ask myself how long it would take to conclude the Turkish Trade Act, which has 1,600 articles. There are around 30 laws pending in Parliament, and all of them are connected with the negotiation process. We ask the opposition to ease our hands just for the future of our children," he said.
When asked how the nature of the negotiations would be affected if the talks between Turkish and Greek Cypriots fail, Bağış acknowledged the fact that the Cyprus problem had cast a shadow on Turkey’s process but said he preferred to see the full part of the glass.
"We feel the tension. But we are also aware of the fact that similar tensions were solved in the past. Just like it happened in 2002, 2004 and 2005. In fall, the EU will release its Progress Report, which will not be very different from the last year’s," he said. "One difference is that its part on Cyprus will be longer."
One thing Bağış draws attention to is the fact that it is not only Turkey that failed in fulfilling its commitments. "A council decision made in 2004 requires the removal of the embargo applied on Turkish Cypriots. They are not for example allowed to trade directly with the world."
A new communication strategy
Bağış, a close aid to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was appointed chief negotiator in January as his predecessor, Ali Babacan, who was also serving as the foreign minister at that time, could no longer deal with the EU matters because of his busy schedule. Since then, Bağış said the visibility of the EU matters has increased as he traveled to Brussels five times and to Prague, the capital of current term president Czech Republic, three times.
"I see that we have a sort of communication problem. Thanks to our new communication strategy, we’ll inform more Turks about the EU and more Europeans about Turkey. Because we know that Europeans who come to Turkey even just for tourism change their minds about the country’s membership," he said.
There were 119 communication projects in place, each with separate themes, Bağış said. "I have also talked with former and current education ministers," he said. "We’re planning to add the EU to the curriculum to enlighten the youth."