[TURKISH DIPLOMACY IN 2009] Relations with EU remain on the backburner in 2009

The article cited February 2008 remarks by then-Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, who pledged to surprise all with a new wave of EU reform while admitting that there had been a considerable slowdown in the government’s activity concerning the reforms necessary for the country’s accession to the EU.

“That didn’t happen; on the contrary, there has been mutual disappointment on the EU and Turkish sides, with the latter blaming the former for dragging its feet in opening more chapters, although Ankara has fulfilled all technical requirements,” the article had concluded.

Saying something substantially different for the year 2009 is rather difficult, although the government started the year with bold actions that were applauded by the EU.

In early January Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appointed a new chief negotiator for Turkey’s bid to join the EU. The post, formerly held by Babacan, was turned over to Egemen Bağış, who was also appointed state minister, while the Secretariat-General for EU Affairs (ABGS) was placed under the supervision of the Prime Ministry, effectively under Bağış.

These moves were followed by Erdoğan’s visit to Brussels in late January -- the first in four years -- and all of these concrete developments were largely seen as signs of a renewed determination to revitalize the accession drive.

Still, in the first half of 2009, during the rotating term presidency of the EU by the Czech Republic, Turkey and the EU were able to open membership negotiations on only the taxation chapter, bringing the number of areas currently under consideration to 11 out of 35 chapters in total. The EU opened accession negotiations with Turkey in October 2005. Countries hoping to join the bloc must fulfill requirements in 35 policy negotiating areas, or chapters.

Until that time, Turkey had opened talks on an average of two chapters during every term presidency of the EU, which rotates among member states for six-month periods. Ankara had long complained that the number of chapters opened during the six-month rotating presidencies of the 27-nation bloc were constantly limited to two, although the technical requirements for opening new chapters were fulfilled.

As for the presidency of the Czech Republic, which handed over the helm to Sweden on July 1, the number remained at one, taxation being the sole chapter opened since the government was not able to pass the necessary amendments to the Labor Union Law, a necessity for opening the chapter on social policy and employment.

The situation concerning the number of chapters opened did not change during Sweden’s time in the presidency, which will be handed over to Spain on Jan. 1. Earlier this month, EU officials opened negotiations with Turkey on one new policy area, or chapter, namely the environment chapter.

With the chapter on environment, Ankara has so far formally opened 12 chapters, of which it has provisionally completed negotiations on just one, science and research. In addition to the eight chapters frozen due to a customs dispute since 2006, France has been blocking another five chapters that are directly linked to full membership, and Greek Cyprus plans to block talks on six other chapters.

In the meantime, throughout 2009, Turkish leaders have constantly accused EU leaders of a lack of vision vis-à-vis Turkey’s full EU membership process. The EU leaders’ failure to withstand Greek Cypriot pressure was an additional factor in the Turkish leaders’ harsh criticism of the EU, with Ankara stating that the EU has ignored Turkey’s active support of the ongoing reunification negotiations on the divided island of Cyprus.

Yet, one has to remember that people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones since it’s not possible to say that the government succeeded mobilizing Parliament for EU reforms. Deeply polarized between the ruling and opposition parties, Parliament has done little in 2009 to press for reforms to bring national standards in all walks of life in line with those of the EU.

In fact, lawmakers were able to pass only one piece of reform legislation -- the one hastily passed at a midnight session in June to allow civilian courts to try military officers for certain offenses. The government has lost much of its enthusiasm for the EU in the past couple of years amid rising opposition from countries such as France and Germany to Turkey’s eventual accession. But experts say the slowdown in reforms is also due to the opposition parties, which oppose EU membership reforms. Many of the proposed reforms require changes to the Constitution, which are not possible without support from opposition parties.

A December ruling by the Constitutional Court that banned the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) added insult to injury as such a move might have been prevented by pushing ahead with the necessary amendments to the Political Parties Law.

Earlier this month, following a ministerial meeting to review the reform efforts, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, in his current post since May, said the government wanted Parliament to spend one day a week or one week a month exclusively on EU reforms.

2010 will show whether the government will really push hard for substantial reforms that will require significant legal amendments, including constitutional reforms, and take political risks -- without being deterred by the fact that elections are due in 2011.