A suitable ’relaunch’ of EU negotiations
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Ocak 21, 2009 00:00
There are many ways that Turkey can and should signal its continuing commitment to the European Union and the goal of membership. One is a visit by our prime minister.
So Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit this week to Brussels, the first in four years, is a welcome if overdue step. Over the last two years there has been increasing concern in the EU capital that Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party, or AKP, government has lost enthusiasm for reforms. To be fair, neglect has been a two-way affair and the EU Commission has faced its own distractions. But it is Turkey that must drive the process toward EU membership.
Erdoğan's show of his presence in Brussels was a strong message in itself that supports this goal. And he arrived with other tangible evidence that Turkey is serious. In the run-up to his visit, the government thoughtfully finalized some steps favored by its European counterparts. It launched TRT Şes, a 24-hour Kurdish language TV channel. Erdoğan’s government restored the citizenship of famous poet Nazım Hikmet. At last, it appointed a full-time negotiator in the person of parliamentarian Egemen Bağış as the new minister for EU affairs, strengthening the institutional framework for Turkey's EU negotiations. The government also approved Turkey's national program, which is the country's road map for harmonization with EU legislation and implementation as well.
We wish Erdoğan could have been a little more politic. Engaging in a public argument with a Greek Cypriot member of the European Parliament during a press conference was not helpful. But this is minor. His failure in distancing himself from threats to use Turkey’s geography in the EU-backed Nabucco gas pipeline project as a weapon in negotiations may yet lead to new crisis.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn told Erdoğan that they would like to see more of him in Brussels in fact. Given that leaders of nations without EU prospects, ranging from Armenia and India, have regularly made Brussels a stop should underscore the symbolic importance of such visits. We hope the prime minister heeds this advice. This is crucial for keeping Turkey on the European agenda.
It is not going to be easy to rekindle the flame of EU integration. The Europeans will have their own many distractions, ranging from the stalled approval of the so-called "Lisbon Treaty" that will be the Union’s governing document. The ongoing economic crisis will accelerate centrifugal forces that threaten unity. And many distractions will certainly be present in Turkey during 2009, from local elections to the certainty of turmoil in Iraq, Israel, the Palestinian territories and elsewhere.
But this week’s visit was a suitable "relaunch" of negotiations. Erdoğan has promised continuing momentum. We will wait with cautious optimism.
Erdoğan's show of his presence in Brussels was a strong message in itself that supports this goal. And he arrived with other tangible evidence that Turkey is serious. In the run-up to his visit, the government thoughtfully finalized some steps favored by its European counterparts. It launched TRT Şes, a 24-hour Kurdish language TV channel. Erdoğan’s government restored the citizenship of famous poet Nazım Hikmet. At last, it appointed a full-time negotiator in the person of parliamentarian Egemen Bağış as the new minister for EU affairs, strengthening the institutional framework for Turkey's EU negotiations. The government also approved Turkey's national program, which is the country's road map for harmonization with EU legislation and implementation as well.
We wish Erdoğan could have been a little more politic. Engaging in a public argument with a Greek Cypriot member of the European Parliament during a press conference was not helpful. But this is minor. His failure in distancing himself from threats to use Turkey’s geography in the EU-backed Nabucco gas pipeline project as a weapon in negotiations may yet lead to new crisis.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn told Erdoğan that they would like to see more of him in Brussels in fact. Given that leaders of nations without EU prospects, ranging from Armenia and India, have regularly made Brussels a stop should underscore the symbolic importance of such visits. We hope the prime minister heeds this advice. This is crucial for keeping Turkey on the European agenda.
It is not going to be easy to rekindle the flame of EU integration. The Europeans will have their own many distractions, ranging from the stalled approval of the so-called "Lisbon Treaty" that will be the Union’s governing document. The ongoing economic crisis will accelerate centrifugal forces that threaten unity. And many distractions will certainly be present in Turkey during 2009, from local elections to the certainty of turmoil in Iraq, Israel, the Palestinian territories and elsewhere.
But this week’s visit was a suitable "relaunch" of negotiations. Erdoğan has promised continuing momentum. We will wait with cautious optimism.