BY ISMET BERKAN
RADIKAL- Today is a momentous day. The European Commission is due to issue its much-awaited progress report on Turkey, which will probably give Ankara the green light to start entry negotiations with the European Union.
No matter what the report says, what’s critical at the moment is whether or not it will recommend starting Ankara’s membership negotiations. The progress report will be one of the countless bends that we’ll have to navigate on our road towards the Union. Doubtlessly, what’s even more important is Dec. 17, the day the EU is set to hold the summit where it decides whether to start our membership talks. I don’t expect the EU leaders to give us an outright rejection, but let’s not forget we face a long and bumpy road ahead. On Dec. 17, the EU is to decide on not only Turkey’s future but also that of itself and indeed the world. If the EU manages to get through this bend, then we’ll be granted an unparalleled opportunity to alter the course of history. Turkey might serve as a bridge between different civilizations, a nexus between the West and the East. If the EU decides to do this, the ball will be in our court.
We shouldn’t forget that everything will hinge on our future performance if the EU decides in favor of our membership bid. No matter what the Union stipulates, everything will be on our shoulders because the negotiation process is essentially a period of harmonization, not bargaining. The most important aspect of our harmonization period will certainly be the economic one.
We mustn’t forget that Turkey simply cannot join the EU under its current state of economic underdevelopment. Therefore, in the years to come, Ankara must strive to ensure its sustainable economic development, close the income divide between different segments of society and establish a prosperous society. Now everything’s more serious than ever before. Unless we close the economic gap between different regions of our country, we cannot enter the EU. Therefore, we must develop projects along the lines of the US’ Tennessee Valley Authority project so as to encourage urban and rural development.
Now we must look to the future.