BRUSSELS - The European Union sought Tuesday to reassure Turkey that plans to start membership talks this year remain on track, despite uncertainty over the EU constitution and the political leadership in Germany.
The EU's executive commission underlined that the decision to start negotiations with Ankara on October 3, albeit depending on specific conditions, had been taken by EU leaders at a summit last December.
"There has been a decision made by unanimity by the highest political level in the EU ... to start accession talks with Turkey on 3 October," said Krisztina Nagy, spokeswoman for EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn.
The offer was conditional on Ankara signing a protocol extending a customs agreement with the EU to the bloc's 10-member states -- including the divided island of Cyprus -- as well as implementing a package of legal reforms.
But the EU said there were no immediate concerns about these conditions.
"The commission is doing its job in order to prepare for the mandate it has received. We are doing our work. The Turkish authorities are doing their work as well," the spokeswoman added.
Turkey's hopes of joining the currently 25-nation EU have been clouded by uncertainty over the EU's constitution, which is designed to prevent decision-making gridlock in the expanding bloc.
Specifically French voters are threatening to reject the EU charter in a referendum next Sunday, in part at least fueled by public opposition to Turkey's entry into a bloc in which French influence is increasingly waning.
If the constitution were rejected -- as forecast by consistent opinion poll findings -- the 25-nation bloc would be plunged into unprecedented crisis, and could spend years rethinking its overall strategic direction.
In theory last December's decision on Turkey is irreversible, whatever happens to the bloc, since all EU states have signed up to it.
But speculation has been further fueled by the political turmoil in Germany after Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democrats won a crucial election at the weekend.
Schroeder has called for national elections to be brought forward by a year -- in a move which in theory could let in the opposition Christian Democrats, who have far more reservations about Turkey's EU bid.
Turkey has put a brave face on the possibility of losing a staunch supporter in Berlin for its EU application.
"Hopefully, we will start the negotiations on October 3," Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said Monday. "Any change in this is out of the question as long as we fulfill our obligations and we are fulfilling them meticulously."
French President Jacques Chirac also intervened in the Turkey membership debate Tuesday, but in the opposite sense from the EU commission -- arguing that a "yes" vote in the constitution would make it harder for Turkey to join.
05/24/2005 15:53 GMT