IKV’s Nas: EU’s future with Lisbon Treaty should concern Turkey

“Overall, the Lisbon Treaty may be interpreted as a further step on the road towards a federal Europe. Thus Turkey should think deeply about the notions of Europe, supranational integration and what recent reforms may imply regarding the concept of state and sovereignty,” Nas told Today’s Zaman for Monday Talk.

The treaty, which aims at making decision-making smoother, creates a long-term president and enhances the powers of the EU foreign policy chief, is intended to give the 27-country bloc more political clout to match its economic weight.

The treaty finally came into force on Dec. 1, eight years after European leaders launched a process to make the EU more democratic and efficient.

The new European Parliament was elected in June 2009 under the existing Nice Treaty. So there are 736 members of the European Parliament (MEPs), down from the previous 785. Under the Lisbon plan, the number will be fixed at 750.

Nas answered our questions about the changes to come with the new treaty and their relation to Turkey.

How does the Treaty of Lisbon change the legal basis of the EU?

The Treaty of Lisbon brings some important changes to the legal basis of the EU. First of all, the treaty amends the two basic treaties of the union and renames one of them, namely the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union [TFEU] and the Treaty on the European Union. The EU achieves a single international legal personality with the Lisbon Treaty. Formerly, only the European Community and not the EU possessed a legal face. The decision-making procedure in the EU is further enhanced by the extension of qualified majority voting in the council and the introduction of double majority voting, which requires that 55 percent of the number of member states and 65 percent of the EU population’s [votes] be cast in favor for a legislative proposal to be adopted.

The treaty also launches a new office, the council president.

Yes, the president will be elected by the council for two-and-a-half years, renewable once, and will chair the meetings of the European Council, ensure continuity in its work and represent the EU in the world.

It is the former Belgian prime minister, Herman Van Rompuy, who became the first president of the European Council on Dec. 1. Do you think this is a positive development for Turkey considering Van Rompuy’s past statements against Turkey’s accession to the EU?

The chair of the European Council is a new post. We have to wait further to evaluate how it will operate in practice. Lisbon created a complex relationship between the new European Council president and the ongoing rotating presidency of the council, which shifts among member states. Thus, while Herman Van Rompuy will chair the European Council, the Council of Ministers will be led by the member states. Moreover, with the recently implemented team presidency, three consecutive presidencies coordinate their agendas during their six-month terms. One may infer that although it is an important post, the new council chair will not totally overshadow the leadership provided by the member states. However, Mr. Van Rompuy’s personal ideas about Turkey may make a difference. Especially at critical junctures when important decisions are to be made about Turkey, even his neutrality and abstaining from influencing the council’s decisions may be negative for Turkey. It would, of course, be much better for Turkey had a figure like Tony Blair been elected president.

Briton Catherine Ashton has started work as foreign affairs chief. Could you talk about this post?

This is another post stipulated by the treaty. It is the high representative of the union for foreign affairs and security policy. It extends the powers of the former EU high representative by merging the economic and political aspects of the EU’s external relations. The new high representative will chair the Council of Foreign Ministers and will be the vice president of the European Commission.

Links between the European Parliament and national parliaments will be strengthened

What else can we expect with the adoption of the treaty?

The link between the European Parliament and national parliaments will be strengthened as a result of the treaty, since national parliaments will also express their opinion on new legislative proposals. Lastly, the Charter of Fundamental Rights, which was adopted by the European Council in 2001, becomes legally binding with the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty with opt-outs on the part of the UK, Poland and the Czech Republic. In a nutshell, it may be expected that the treaty will provide greater effectiveness and increase the EU’s capabilities in the area of foreign and security policy. It will certainly accelerate the regular decision-making and legislative process in the EU and strengthen the institutional structure.

Do you expect any problems in that regard?

Problems such as the democratic deficit of the EU related to the limited powers of the parliament linger on. There are no fundamental changes, but limited modifications in the institutional structure. The references to a constitution, symbols and motto of the union, which were included in the rejected Constitutional Treaty, are omitted from the Lisbon Treaty. Overall, it is another instance of incremental change and gradual reform that is common to the EU.

What is there in the treaty that should concern Turkey?

The Lisbon Treaty carries the EU further towards the goal of a fully integrated EU. As is generally pointed out, the EU has been and is a “moving target.” Thus amendments of the treaties and reform of the EU necessitated all candidate countries, including Turkey, to reassess the nature of their final destination; i.e., the EU in an ever-changing configuration. As from 2014, the European Commission will consist of a number of members equal to two thirds of the total number of member states. Thus each member state will send a national to the commission based on a system of rotation. In addition, the transition to double majority means that the previous system of weighted voting which stipulated a fixed amount of votes for each member states based on population will be abandoned.

Is this a positive outcome?

This may be a positive development with regard to Turkey’s membership prospects since it may reduce the feeling of uneasiness that may be caused due to Turkey’s relatively large population. On the other hand, double majority involves voting in the council to represent 65 percent of the total EU population, which again creates leverage for Turkey in the decision-making process. Regarding representation in the parliament, the total number is limited to 750, and the number of MEPs from one member state cannot exceed 96. Thus, once Turkey becomes a member of the EU, the total number of MEPs from Turkey may be at most 96. The Charter of Fundamental Rights, which became legally binding with Lisbon, is binding on all member states except those which opted out of certain provisions.

‘There are further steps toward a federal Europe’

Is there a federal Europe on the horizon?

With the adoption of a single legal personality, the EU now has the possibility of acceding to the European Convention on Human Rights, which will strengthen the international monitoring of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Overall, the Treaty of Lisbon may be interpreted as a further step on the road towards a federal Europe. Thus Turkey should think deeply about the notions of Europe, supranational integration and what recent reforms may imply regarding the concept of state and sovereignty.

Do you think the treaty was a reaffirmation of the EU’s enlargement policy or something else?

The treaty, as expressed in its preamble, aims at improving efficiency, democratic legitimacy and coherence of the union. Thus it mostly concentrates on the internal structure of the union. Naturally, as the union becomes more integrated, the question of enlargement is being considered from a new perspective.

First of all, the question of membership criteria becomes much more important. The acceding country is now entering a closely knit union and therefore integration may be more difficult. Thus the union will put much more emphasis on the fulfillment of accession criteria, in particular, respect for the values of the EU such as “human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities.” Principles such as pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance and equality between men and women should also prevail in societies that are members of the EU. One may conclude that enlargement decisions will be more difficult in the future. In addition, the treaty also talks about developing a special relationship with neighboring countries, which also indicates that for future applicants to the EU, alternatives to membership may be proposed, such as neighborhood treaties.

As a lot of Europeans were indifferent to the treaty, it has not received much attention in Turkey, either. Why do you think that was the situation?

Europeans in general are quite indifferent and uninformed about the EU. However, it is different when we consider the well-educated strata, especially intellectuals. There is a growing academic interest in European studies. Moreover, the “quality press” especially, meaning serious-minded newspapers and media channels and news media specializing in the EU, covered the Lisbon Treaty and published news as well as articles and opinion pieces. Considering the situation in Turkey, the Lisbon Treaty did not receive much attention. The reasons may be several and listed as the failure of the former Constitutional Treaty and the perception that the Lisbon Treaty is a watered-down version; changes in Turkish foreign policy, meaning that Turkish media’s attention also shifted to extra-European regions, especially Middle East and Asia; the problems in Turkey’s accession process to the EU which cause frustration and disappointment; and a general aloofness from the EU and Europe.