EU offers Turkey a date – but Cyprus remains the key

The EU summit is set to resume negotiations on the details of a
landmark deal that would open the Union’s doors to Turkey. The
recognition of Cyprus remains a potential stumbling bloc.

Following negotiations that lasted into the small hours of 17
December, the participants in the summit of the EU member states’
leaders extended to Turkey a historic offer that may put the
country on course for EU membership. The Turkish prime minister
said that he was carefully reading “every word” of the EU’s offer
before formulating his response. A final communiqué is expected
around noon on 17 December.

The EU’s offer for accession talks is likely to come coupled
with a series of conditions, which is unprecedented for a
membership candidate.

The key terms of the deal include that:

– the start date for the negotiations was set at 3 October 2005
(ie during the UK Presidency).

– talks are likely to last at least a decade.

– the aim of the talks would be full membership, but without
guarantees attached to the outcome. If membership were not
possible, Turkey must still be “anchored in European structures
through the strongest possible bond”. This wording appears to
supersede earlier proposals under which Ankara would be offered a
“privileged partnership” as an alternative to full membership.

– Ankara would have to take steps to recognise EU member Cyprus
prior to the launch of the negotiations. The condition of
Cyprus’s recognition had originally been rejected by Ankara.
However, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that
“we’ll do all that is needed” to solve this issue. Under the draft
decision, Turkey would have to sign a protocol extending its EU
association agreement to all ten new member states, including
Cyprus.

– the draft deal left the door open to the idea of a “permanent
safeguard clause” on the key issue of the free movement of workers.
Turkey has dismissed the idea as discriminatory. The summit
decision on this issue was left for 17 December.

However, the deal is not done yet, as Turkey has still
not publicly responded to the EU’s offer.  Erdogan is
scheduled to hold further meetings with Dutch Prime Minister Jan
Peter Balkenende, holder of the EU’s rotating presidency, early on
17 December.

President Commission Jose Manuel Barroso said that “tonight the
EU has opened its door to Turkey” by extending a “balanced offer
which takes into consideration the legitimate preoccupations of
Turkey and legitimate preoccupations also of EU member states”. In
Barroso’s opinion, “Turkey should be glad to accept” the offer.

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana expressed hope that Turkey
would make a “gesture” by recognising Cyprus before next
October.

Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said that the deal was
a “complete victory” and a “compromise solution that is good for
Turkey and Europe”.

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