BY HASAN CEMAL
MILLIYET- Columnist Hasan Cemal comments on Turkey’s relations with the European Union. A summary of his column is as follows:
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is currently in Berlin for official visits, even as Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul is in Vienna to meet with Austrian officials. From Berlin, Erdogan will proceed to Rome to meet with his European counterparts. The common feature of these contacts is the presence of both Turkey and Europe. From my impressions of phone calls among Berlin, Brussels and Ankara, Turkey’s current relations with the EU are good. Even a member of the Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association (TUSIAD) also visiting Berlin had this to say: ‘The EU has a surprisingly positive stance.’ And according to a diplomatic source in Turkey, ‘Ankara has fulfilled almost all the Copenhagen criteria. The pretexts of certain groups who want to see Turkey out of the EU are eroding rapidly. The atmosphere is getting better.’
The reasons for this improvement are clear. The key factors are the sixth and seventh harmonization packages passed by Parliament through the government’s political determination. These reformist steps, which made a melodious echo in the European press, changed the EU capitals’ opinion of Turkey. ‘Turkey is doing everything in time, without delay,’ said Guven Ozalp, the Brussels correspondent for Milliyet daily. ‘In addition, the new government’s style and words have changed for the better. Now it can look on the EU not as an enemy, but as a partner. Therefore it can approach relations with the EU in a positive stance with an eye on reaching solutions. As a result, certain anti-Turkey circles within the EU Commission are in a bind because we’ve started to play the game better.’
Two stages lie ahead of us now: firstly, this fall’s EU Progress Report and then a possible date for negotiations. The former will be released in November and the latter will become clear next December. Certain circles within the EU are concerned that we’re waiting for a signal from the EU on membership negotiations. Yes, we are. Now it’s largely the EU’s turn. For this reason, Brussels and the EU capitals should take the steps Turkey is seeking on the Progress Report and a date for negotiations. An opposite result would be amount to a historic, irresponsible misstep. I don’t think the EU will fall into such a trap.