EU faces historic decision on Turkey

The EU summit is set to spell out dates and terms for
Turkey’s bid for membership on 16-17 December. Barring a
last-minute upset, negotiations may begin in autumn of 2005.

Last-ditch haggling among the EU’s 25 member states is set to
draw to a close on 16 December when the summit meeting participants
will inform Turkey over dinner on a date for accession negotiations
to begin. A formal written announcement of the result is set for 17
December.

If all goes as planned, Turkey will receive a green light along
with an autumn 2005 date for the talks to begin. However, hectic
diplomacy is likely to mark the last few hours. 

The decision will open a new chapter in Turkey’s 40-year quest
for membership of the European community, even though the exact
terms of the EU’s offer are yet to be spelled out. In the run-up to
the summit, the EU increased pressure on Ankara on what it
considers key outstanding issues, including the highly sensitive
recognition of Cyprus through the signing of a formal EU
diplomatic agreement. To date, Ankara has repeatedly rejected this
call. 

The host of the summit, Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter
Balkenende, will also attempt to strike a last-minute deal on
whether the final document should emphasise that the accession
talks are not guaranteed to succeed; whether a “membership light”
alternative should be included in the agreement; or whether Ankara
should be subjected to “permanent exemptions” from certain EU
policies (such as regional aid or the free movement of people). The
EU is also likely to require extra proof that reforms are
under way and will continue in Turkey.

In turn, Turkey stood firm on the eve of the summit, declaring
that it will not agree to open the talks at any price. If the EU’s
conditions are unacceptable, “we will definitely put the
matter on ice and continue on our way”, said Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 

The summit participants will also discuss the accession
schedules for Bulgaria and Romania (a final blessing is
expected at the closure of their accession talks and dates
will be set for signing their accession treaties) and the
membership bid of Croatia (the likely date for starting accession
talks is April 2005).

Read more with Euractiv

Parliament calls on EU to open Turkey talks

In a non-binding majority vote, the European Parliament approved on 15 December a motion that seeks to open the door to Turkey's membership of the EU. The vote was secret, which did not go down well with several MEPs.