BY FIKRET BILA
MILLIYET- Next month’s EU summit will be more an exam for the Union than one for Turkey. Its decision on Turkey will show whether the EU has subjective or objective criteria in its decisions. This will also mean a test of the EU’s good will. Up to now, Turkey has been told that getting a date for accession talks depends on its fulfilling the Copenhagen criteria, and that these criteria are objective and are valid for every candidate state. The EU Commission is supposed to determine whether these criteria are fulfilled or not.
In its latest report, the commission said that Turkey had fulfilled the Copenhagen criteria. Thus, the commission confirmed that Turkey had done its homework. Since EU decision-makers are supposed to base their decisions on this report, the EU has to give an unconditional date for our accession talks. Such a decision is both Turkey’s right and an obligation for the EU. Otherwise, it will mean that the EU is acting contrary to its own values and laws. Also one shouldn’t forget the EU’s traditionally unfair attitude towards Turkey. A provision about Cyprus has been put forward for Turkey though it’s not among the Copenhagen criteria. Though Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) supported the island’s reunification, Greek Cypriots, who worked against the EU’s wishes, were rewarded, and the good will of the Turkish side was punished.
There are still moves to get more concessions from Turkey before the summit. It would be unfair to expect this without a clear, unconditional date for talks being given. Especially the Greek Cypriot’s pressures shouldn’t be supported by the EU. There are of course some problems which we must solve, but they aren’t obstacles to giving us a date. Some EU member countries solved their problems in fulfilling the Copenhagen criteria during their own accession talks, and some current members haven’t even solved these problems. Next month’s summit will be an exam for the EU.