Great expectations

Date: 20/11/1997

Korkmaz Haktanir explains why his government believes the European Commission was wrong to recommend excluding Turkey from the enlargement process and argues that all applicants for Union membership must be treated equally

TURKEY is the European Union's oldest partner. As a country which has followed western-oriented policies for at least two centuries, and more particularly since the republic was created in 1923, Turkey could not have remained indifferent to the process of integration which was initiated in Europe after the Second World War.

It became a founding member of the Council of Europe, joined NATO during its first wave of enlargement in 1952 and applied for membership of the EEC almost as soon as the Community was created, at a time when many of its subsequent members such as the UK, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and all the present candidates were either unwilling or unable to accede.

The association agreement which was concluded between Turkey and the European Economic Community in 1963 recognised the country's European vocation.

Both in its preamble and its Article 28, the agreement set full membership of the Community for Turkey as the final objective of both parties.

In order to help reach this objective, the parties chose the path of economic integration which would take the form of a customs union designed to bring them closer.

A similar agreement was concluded with Greece at the same time and with the same objective.

The customs union provided for in the association agreement was completed on schedule at the end of 1995. In terms of economic integration, it is undoubtedly the most comprehensive arrangement that the EU has with any third country.

Not only does the customs union result in free circulation of all industrial goods between the two parties, but it has also led Turkey to adopt the EU's common customs tariff and substantially the same commercial policy as the Union.

Turkey is also in the process of aligning itself with the EU's standards and competition policy, having already adopted the acquis concerning intellectual and industrial property rights. It is envisaged that after an additional transitional period, free movement will also be assured for basic agricultural products and commercially traded services.

The customs union constituted a giant step forward in our integration efforts with the EU. No third country, and particularly none of the other candidates, has gone as far as we have.

Indeed, the European Commission has recognised in its Agenda 2000 communication on the challenges of enlargement, which was published in July, that “the customs union has demonstrated the Turkish economy's ability to cope with the competitive challenge of free trade in manufactured goods”. The same can probably not be said for many of the other candidates for accession to the Union.

We feel that the achievements registered so far put us in a very good position with respect to further integration.

Therefore, Turkey did not - indeed could not - remain aloof from the preparations launched from the beginning of the 1990s onwards for the EU's next wave of enlargement, which may well be the last.

Turkey welcomes the enlargement of western institutions, whether of a security, political or economic nature, to include countries which were considered hostile to the West until just a few years ago.

In the same way as it considers that its own links to the West and participation in these institutions help strengthen democratic institutions and respect for values shared by all European countries, it believes that the integration of the countries of the former eastern block in western institutions will reinforce democratic institutions and respect for fundamental rights and freedoms, as well as consolidate the market economy in all of them.

Such a development can only increase peace and prosperity on the whole European continent, provided that new divisions are not created. This requires that a new form of discrimination is not brought about among countries in terms of their relationship with the EU.

It is for this reason that Turkey welcomed the commitment made by EU foreign ministers meeting in Apeldoorn earlier this year, and repeated at the meeting of the Turkey-EU Association Council held in Luxembourg in April, to judge Turkey's application to join the EU by the same objective standards and criteria as other applicants.

It was also pleased to note the desire of the Union to develop its relations with Turkey in the economic and political fields, on the understanding that this would not constitute an alternative to full membership.

Unfortunately, the expectations created at those meetings were not fulfilled.

Despite the fact that the EU has repeatedly confirmed the eligibility of Turkey for full membership of the Union, both Agenda 2000 and the communication presented by the Commission in July on the further development of relations with Turkey failed to abide by the commitments so recently made by the Union.

In particular, by not including Turkey in the enlargement process, the Commission clearly disregarded the country's eligibility for full membership.

Turkey considers that this situation is damaging to our relations in that it entertains a degree of ambiguity which undermines the acquis registered so far.

In particular, it reduces the benefits expected from the customs union since potential investors remain unsure as to whether it will lead to further integration with the EU, as has always been the case for similar arrangements.

However, the last word has clearly not been said on this matter. Indeed, it is only at the Luxembourg summit of EU heads of state and government in December that a decision is expected to be taken about the future map of Europe, the countries which will be included in the enlargement process and the procedures and structures which will be designed to help them on their way to full membership.

Turkey's expectations from this summit can be set out in the following terms:

The summit should lead to a clear-cut decision on Turkey's inclusion in the enlargement process and lift the prevailing ambiguity as to the future direction of our relations;

It should invite Turkey to participate, on equal terms with all other active candidates for membership of the Union, in the standing European conference which is expected to bring together all countries having a European vocation and deal with many issues of common interest to them, in particular those covered by the three pillars of the EU;

Turkey should also be offered a pre-accession strategy which should be designed to help it reach the standards of full membership, in the same way as the strategy proposed by the Commission for the central and eastern European countries (CEECs) is intended to help them assume the obligations of membership.

As the EU's oldest partner, Turkey is familiar - indeed more familiar than many of the other candidates - with the requirements of full membership. Our intention is certainly not to be a burden to the Union, but to join it when we are ready to fulfil all the obligations which accession entails.

The one clear message which has emerged from Agenda 2000 is that, in the Commission's opinion, none of the candidates is fully prepared for membership. That is why various structures and procedures are mooted to help them reach the required level of development, both political and economic.

All that Turkey is expecting is that the candidates should be treated equally, that the same means should be made available to all, and that none be excluded from the most ambitious project ever designed to reunify the European continent.

HKorkmaz Haktanir was appointed under-secretary of the Turkish ministry of foreign affairs in October. He is a former ambassador to Tehran and Warsaw and was deputy under-secretary for political affairs before taking up his current position.