Olli Rehn urges Turkey to revitalise its European agenda
In an Article for Turkish Newspaper Milliyet
Olli Rehn, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, urges Turkey to revitalise its European agenda
The recent calls in Turkey for accelerated modernisation through EU
reforms are welcome. These reforms are necessary in order for Turkey
to break its cycle of annual political crises. Last year, the crisis was over
the presidential and parliamentary elections. This year, it was over the
constitutional court case to close the ruling party.
Such crises undermine the country˘s political stability and, thus, its EU
prospects. They absorb valuable political energy that would have been
better used for much-needed reforms in the Turkish citizens' interest. As
a result, key reforms are stalled at various points in the legal and political
system.
This year˘s crisis showed the urgency of Turkey˘s need to undertake
judicial and constitutional reforms to reach European standards.
For instance, the Commission has recommended for the past three years
that Turkey needs to change its laws on political parties. But the
government has taken no action so far, despite the launch of a number
of cases to close political parties prior to the most recent cases.
Other reforms would also help ease tensions and prevent them building
up into full-scale confrontations. The creation of an ombudsman institution could defuse some of the
tensions surrounding the debate about the relationship between religion
and the state and reassure Turkish citizens that their rights will be
respected, whatever their personal beliefs or political affiliations. It could
also help to ease current controversies about high-level appointments by
scrutinising the process and ensuring that meritocracy and impartiality
prevail. Yet the law on the Ombudsman has been stuck in the
Constitutional Court for over two years.
Another example is the law on trade unions, presently before the Turkish
Grand National Assembly. This law will align Turkey's legislation with EU
standards and ILO conventions on important issues, such as the right to
organise, the right to strike and the right to bargain collectively.
Now it is time for Turkey to clear these blockages and continue its path
towards EU accession. Constructive dialogue and a spirit of compromise
will be key to build a broad consensus on EU-related reforms and
resolve the most sensitive questions in the domestic debate.
The government's intention to adopt the third National EU reform
programme will be important in this context. I am looking forward to the
presentation of the programme.
The Turkish EU reform agenda is comprehensive. It concerns issues
such as civil-military relations, judicial and public administration reform,
and further measures to promote women's rights and freedom of
expression, and the fight against corruption. It is also about making state
aid and public procurement legislation compatible with EU standards,
addressing discriminatory practices in the field of taxation and
modernising the Turkish Commercial code.
The EU will continue to support Turkey's EU reform efforts. We do this
trough a close dialogue and by lending financial support for the
implementations of reforms. In 2007, EU support amounted to over 500
million Euros and it will further increase in the years ahead.
We do not take a position on the appropriate balance between tradition
and modernity. But we do expect candidate countries to maintain the
stability of their institutions guaranteeing democracy, rule of law,
fundamental freedoms, and respect for and protection of minorities.
The conditionality for EU accession relies on both sides keeping their
side of the bargain: the EU sticks to its word, while Turkey should
transform itself into a more European state and a more open society.
For our part, the EU is committed to a common destiny with Turkey. We
look forward to open new policy areas (chapters) in the accession
negotiations later this year. Turkey is a key ally of the EU. We highly appreciate its important and
positive diplomatic role in the Middle East. We also share many
economic and strategic interests. But strategic considerations cannot be the only, or even the primary,
basis of our relationship with Turkey. The very existence of the European
Union rests on the basic values of democracy and the rule of law that we
share among ourselves. They are the basis of the "contract of marriage"
in which we Europeans have engaged ourselves in building our Union.
This is why we will not be indifferent to what is the state of our shared
democratic values in candidate countries.
There is one simple but absolutely fundamental principle of EU
enlargement policy, which applies to any candidate country, including
Turkey. The pace of negotiations depends on progress in legal and
democratic reforms – and especially on their implementation. In other
words, the technical talks make up the walls and eventually the roof of
the house, but the legal and democratic reforms constitute the very
foundations of any EU member's construction. And, as every builder
knows, one must first make solid foundations before putting up the walls.
Turkey has made good progress in a number of areas, but there is much
work still to be done.
We also count on Turkey playing a constructive and supportive role in
the settlement talks that are about to begin in Cyprus. A unified and
integrated Cyprus would benefit not only Cypriots themselves, but the
whole of the European Union.
Now the EU is eagerly awaiting a revitalisation of Turkey˘s long-awaited
reforms, to accelerate the country˘s democratic transformation and bring
it closer to meeting the criteria for joining the Union.
We want to see Turkey move out of its cycle of recurrent periodic crises,
so that the country can truly focus on its European journey with
determination, a clear sense of direction, and a quicker pace.
