Is There No Hope Left?

MILLIYET- Columnist Sami Kohen writes about the steps that Turkey needs to take to pass the European Union adaptation laws and how likely it is for the European Union to give Turkey a date for the start of accession negotiations. A summary of his column is as follows:
Have we really missed the train to take us into the European Union? Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit stated yesterday that if the issue of early elections hadn't been brought up, steps could have been taken to enact the reforms. Earlier in the week, Ecevit also said that the debate over early elections had made it almost impossible to pass the necessary laws. So Ecevit believes that the Parliament is going to convene next Monday, decide to hold elections and then end the parliamentary session without approving the laws. Hopefully the Parliament will prove Ecevit wrong and put some extra time and energy into passing the EU reform package. If it doesn't approve these laws and elections are held in November then it will be impossible for Turkey to get a date for the start of accession negotiations at the Copenhagen summit in December. EU Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen made it clear, earlier this week, that Turkey shouldn't expect a date at the Copenhagen summit. He pointed out that the needed laws still hadn't been passed and that under these circumstances it would be unrealistic to expect the EU to start negotiations. So, is the Copenhagen summit Turkey's last chance? The EU diplomats that we spoke to told us that there was still some hope for the coming year. They said that if the government formed after the elections in November is serious about the EU, then Turkey still might have a chance next year to catch the train. However, if Turkey still hasn't taken the necessary steps by 2004, then it should forget about getting a date for negotiations because by then EU will have already enlarged and accepted 10 new members. So if the laws are not passed this year, what's going to happen next year and what should the new government do to make sure it isn't too late for Turkey? Firstly, the new government has to be committed to the objective of EU membership. Secondly, the EU perception of Turkish politics in the post-election period will be very important. If, for instance, the legitimacy of the Turkish Parliament is called into question in relation to the People's Democracy Party (HADEP) and the Justice and Development Party (AKP), then the EU's reluctance to give Turkey a date will increase. So next year we may be up against new obstacles and may well wish we had passed the laws this year, when the time was ripe.

SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION