EU diplomats ponder plan to avoid clash with Turkey

EU diplomats are looking for ways to avoid the predicted "train crash" with Turkey by continuing accession negotiations on areas not directly affected by Ankara’s refusal to open its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot boats and planes.

Under options being discussed by member state officials and the Commission, the EU would draw up a list of chapters on which negotiations could continue even if there was no progress in convincing Turkey to extend its customs union to Cyprus.

The move is being considered as a way of preventing negotiations grinding to a complete halt, sparking a crisis in the EU’s relations with Turkey.

Talks had been expected to stall as the government in Ankara, which faces elections next year, has stated it will not implement the so-called Ankara protocol before the end of December, as the EU has demanded.

The plan has emerged as earlier hopes of a face- saving solution, such as Turkey relinquishing control of the Cypriot town of Varosha, have proved unpromising.

"It is the only option on the table," said one EU diplomat.

Under the scheme, the Commission would identify a list of chapters which are not directly linked to customs union issues. Negotiations would not be possible in areas such as the customs union itself, the free movement of goods, freedom of movement for workers, transport policy and the free movement of capital.

The option is expected to form part of the Commission’s report on Turkey’s progress towards membership, to be published on 8 November. EU officials say that part of the delay in presenting the report (previously scheduled for 24 October) is the need for more time to work on this option. It is not clear at this stage whether the Commission would set out on which areas negotiations could continue or would simply recommend this course of action and leave it to member states to decide the list of chapters themselves.

While the plan is expected to run into opposition from Cyprus, which could call for a complete suspension of talks if Turkey fails to implement the protocol, France and other countries which have called for EU’s demands to be rigorously enforced could back the deal.

"We support all efforts to avoid this ‘train crash’ and which permit negotiations to go ahead on the basis of good faith," said a French government spokesman.

One official said that it would be very difficult for Cyprus to exercise a veto over negotiations because total suspension would effectively spell the end to Turkey’s membership bid and kill any leverage the island had over Turkey.

n The Commission is now in the final stages of drafting the report on Turkey and Olli Rehn, the enlargement commissioner, is continuing informal contacts with the actors involved. On Monday (25 September) he will meet non-governmental groups to discuss the human rights situation in Turkey, which is still the focus of Commission criticism.

Leaders of the European Parliament’s political groups will decide today (21 September) whether to vote on the assembly’s own report on Turkey’s progress towards accession next week in Strasbourg. The Socialist group had called for the report, authored by Dutch Christian Democrat Camiel Eurlings, to be delayed.

Despite being backed by the foreign affairs committee earlier this month, the report has been criticised for calling on Turkey to recognise the Armenian genocide as a pre-condition for membership.

"[The Parliament] will lose all credibility because the report [as it stands] is not balanced," said German Green MEP Cem Özdemir.

EU diplomats are looking for ways to avoid the predicted "train crash" with Turkey by continuing accession negotiations on areas not directly affected by Ankara’s refusal to open its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot boats and planes.