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EU Sends Turkey Contradictory Messages |
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Following the failure at the European
Union (EU) summit for the constitution and the budget, Brussels sends
confusing messages to Turkey.
EU Commissioner for Enlargement
Olli Rehn said membership talks with Turkey will start on October 3 if
Turkey meets the conditions.
Elsewhere, the Commission's Vice President
Franco Frattini said Turkey should be more patient, and that its
membership will be diligently assessed if the country thoroughly
fulfills all the requirements. French President Jacques Chirac had
announced previously that the conditions for negotiations could be made
more demanding.
The collapse of the last week's summit and the open accusations
of leaders against each other have created a deep silent uncertainty
within the Union affecting all the EU politics including enlargement.
EU officials issue various contradicting statements regarding Turkey's
membership process referring to it as their Achilles heel. Rehn
defended the enlargement in three separate platforms for two days
following the negative impact of the summit and the frustration in
Europe. Rehn made speeches yesterday at two think tank organizations in
the Unions capital, Brussels. He is also expected to brief the European
Parliament (EP) Foreign Relations Committee today. At the Center for
European Politics, the Commissioner said enlargement is still alive
even though it was run-down at the summit. Turkey has already fulfilled
six legal regulations as one of the conditions required to start
accession talks on October 3, he added. If the country meets all the
conditions, the talks will begin on time. Turkey should make some
progress in the area of human rights in order to start talks according
to Rehn, the issue creating the question, "Has a new condition come
up?" on the agenda. The Commissioner said in response that a new
condition is out of question and the human rights issue is a basic
requirement for all candidate countries.
During the same hours, Frattini warned the EU should advise
Turkey and ensure they understand that the membership process could
take "many years". EU officials frequently emphasize this process could
end within 10 to15 years. The enlargement needs to slow down; Turkey,
Bulgaria, and Romania will face stricter membership requirements, he
told the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero, underlining that this applies
particularly to Turkey. In addition, the screening for human rights,
criminal systems, and the freedom of information, are some of the
stricter requirements that Frattini has elaborated to. |
