BY SAMI KOHEN
MILLIYET- Columnist Sami Kohen comments on Turkish-EU relations during Italy’s just-begun EU term presidency. A summary of his column is as follows:
Italy yesterday took over the rotating EU term presidency. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will be in the spotlight in Europe and perhaps in our country as well for the next six months. Since Berlusconi is a one of Europe’s most controversial and colorful politicians, Italy’s turn at the EU helm is very likely to make headlines through the year’s-end.
Europeans see Berlusconi, known to them as ‘Cavaliere,’ quite differently than we do. For them, the Berlusconi phenomenon gives them more cause for concern than confidence. Allegations of bribery surrounding this man of scandals and his efforts to cover them up are a matter of great concern for the European countries. Witness these headlines from some European dailies yesterday: ‘Berlusconi: A serious threat to European democracy,’ ‘An amateur incapable of leading the EU” and “A European Anomaly.”
However, Turkey considers him a friend of Turks and expects him to do a lot to help our EU membership bid move forward. In truth, we expect too much of him!
Before going into detail on the Berlusconi issue, let’s take a look at what former EU Term President Greece did from January to June: Our neighbor was generally successful in its decisions and actions. Due to the Iraq war, it faced a difficult period for presiding over the EU. However, Greece did manage to handle the Iraqi crisis and subseqent war. It acted positively towards our membership bid. Greek politicians conveyed a message to Europe at last week’s Thessaloniki summit that Turkey deserved more careful attention from the Union. The only problem between us was the Cyprus issue.
Now let’s return to our main topic. Berlusconi is set to announce his agenda and program today at the European Parliament. The Italian leader is surely ready to do his utmost to help us, as he once again emphasized in his address to the Italian Senate yesterday. This represents a good chance for Turkey. In this period, the EU Commission is to prepare a new progress report on Turkey and perhaps decide on the beginning date of our membership negotiations at the year-end Rome summit. Under these circumstances, Italy’s support is hugely importance for us. However, we shouldn’t overemphasize the situation. First of all, no single country – even if it’s the president – can manage the EU on its own. Secondly, Berlusconi’s controversial political profile as a politician could hinder his effectiveness in Europe.
In the final analysis, the main duty is ours, not Berlusconi’s. Turkey must strive to pass its reform packages and implement them in practice. This is the most important condition.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION