Turkey has so far 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 has long complained that the number of chapters opened during six-months rotating presidencies of the 27-nation bloc were constantly limited to two, although technical requirements for opening new chapters were fulfilled.
As for the presidency of the Czech Republic, which officially hands over the helm to Sweden today, the number remained at one, taxation being the sole chapter opened since the government was not able to adopt necessary amendments on the Labor Union Law, a necessity to opening the chapter on social policy and employment.
Egemen Bağış, who represented Turkey at Tuesday's ministerial conference in Brussels, briefed the Cabinet on Monday concerning the process. Remarks by the government spokesperson, Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Çiçek, following the Cabinet meeting reflected Ankara's optimism about the Swedish term presidency.
“An intensified effort is being exerted to have the chapters on social policy and employment, competition, environment and education and culture opened during Sweden's term presidency within the next six-month period. We will make important progress in this way in this field by the end of 2009,” Çiçek said.
“The number of opened chapters is important to a certain extent. However, what is more important is the importance of having these arrangements and reforms -- which constitutes reason for opening of these chapters -- made for Turkey's needs. Even if there was no such negotiation process, Turkey should have done these structural reforms and legal arrangements for high quality state service, for increased democratic standards and for peace and welfare of our own citizens,” Çiçek also said. “Our determination on this issue continues,” he said, as he once more underlined the importance of the content of the negotiation chapters.
The year 2009 has long been labeled a decisive year for Turkey's EU membership drive. The EU Council had pledged at a December 2006 summit to review Turkey's situation, while blocking eight negotiation chapters due to Ankara's refusal to open its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot traffic.
In a recent interview with Greek media, Bağış said opening of Turkey's ports and airports to Greek Cypriot traffic would not mean the recognition of the Greek-Cypriot administration over the whole island.
“If Turkey opens its ports to Greek-Cypriot vessels, it won't mean that it recognizes the Greek-Cypriot administration as the prevalent country on the whole island,” he said in an interview with Greece's Kathimerini newspaper. “We could move simultaneously, with European states starting business with northern Cyprus and Turkey opening its ports.”
In an apparent move to display its willingness for the ongoing membership process, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and two Cabinet ministers last week had talks with EU officials in Brussels.
Then, at a joint press conference with EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn, foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said, “The increased traffic between Turkey and the EU shows how motivated Turkey is about its EU bid and how EU membership has become a main strategic goal of Turkish foreign policy.”
In an interview held with Turkish journalists in early June, Rehn, for his part, ruled out assumptions that Turkey had lost its reformist spirit, which was strong during the period of time between 2002 and 2005.
Noting that 10 out of 35 negotiation chapters were opened since 2005, Rehn said: “Having this materialized, despite the crisis that has been experienced in Turkey and despite tensions between Turkey and the EU, is a good result.”
Stockholm, while readying to take over the EU presidency, has, however, apparently tried to maintain a “down-to-earth” approach, without too many expectations from the Turkish side.
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, speaking in an interview with The Associated Press, last week said that Sweden would try to open a new chapter in Turkey's bid when the Nordic country assumes the EU presidency as of July 1.
“I would like to see the opening of a chapter if possible, but as a president you need to be an honest broker, you need to find a solution that can be accepted by everyone,” Reinfeldt said then. “If I'm able to succeed in this is too early to say, but we will try our best,” he said.
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