BY AMANDA AKCAKOCA
TODAY'S ZAMAN- Following the surprising appointments of Herman Van Rompuy as EU president and Baroness Catherine Ashton as foreign policy chief, the winds of change continue to sweep through Brussels.
Last Friday saw European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso announce his new lineup for the European Commission. Barroso has been pretty smart in selecting his new team, which has a good mix of old and new, male and female, north and south, East and West, protectionists and free traders. While the team is full of capable men and women, the fact that it lacks any real 'stars' would appear to give the message that Barroso, now in his second term, aims to keep the limelight on himself and will remain very much the man in charge.
Turkey will have to get used to a new face. After five successful and action-packed years, Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn is moving on to a new job. He has been selected as the commissioner for economic and monetary union, which will take him back to his economic roots. His replacement, Stefan Fule, is young and dynamic and has previously been the Czech Republic's minister for European affairs as well as representing his country in NATO for over four years.
His portfolio has been enlarged, and it now not only encompasses countries which are presently negotiating membership and those with a clear membership perspective, but also countries in the EU's European Neighborhood Policy (ENP). This is a very diverse group which numbers some 15 states, including Morocco, Syria and Israel, as well as all six of the Eastern Partnership countries. Add to that the Western Balkans, Turkey and newcomer Iceland, and the total is 23 countries. However, although the country desks for these 'new' countries will come under him, much of the work (political and regional) will still be carried out under Ashton and, when it is up and running, the new External Action Service. It will take some time to see how all these new structures work together, but it would seem that nevertheless, much of the day-to-day mundane work will fall under Fule.
Fule needs to make Turkey a priority, and the new EU team should send out a strong, clear message of their support for Turkey both in relation to its EU process and regarding the increasingly important role Turkey is playing in its region. Ashton should make visiting Turkey a priority in her first 100 days in office. I would even suggest she combine it with a visit to Baku and Yerevan to demonstrate the importance the EU places on the current developments underway. She could also help nudge Turkey and Azerbaijan into overcoming the difficulties they continue to face in negotiations for new gas transit rates and fees, which is holding up development of the Nabucco natural gas pipeline project. In line with this, once Fule arrives in office he should also rapidly plan a visit to Ankara and acquaint himself with all the movers and shakers involved in the process.