Brussels, 29/03/2010 (Agence Europe) - Progress in Turkey's accession negotiations currently depends almost entirely on whether the Turkish parliament can adopt several Bills which are seen by the EU as essential if talks on the four chapters that are still available for negotiation- competition, policy, social policy and employment, public procurement, and food safety and veterinary/plant health issues - are to be opened. All the other chapters are either already opened (12 in all, with one provisionally closed) or deadlocked for political reasons: eight chapters suspended by the EU since the end of 2006 following Turkey's refusal to implement the Ankara Protocol on the extension of the customs union to Cyprus, five blocked by France because of their direct relation to accession (which Paris opposes), and six frozen by Cyprus.
In each of the four still negotiable chapters, Ankara has to meet the opening benchmarks, that is, it has to adopt new laws before accession talks can begin. In competition, for example, Turkey has to set up a national authority to monitor state aid. In the social field, amendment of the constitution will be required to give the public sector the right to strike. The various Bills are ready for the most part and have been put to the Turkish parliament, but close cooperation between the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the opposition is essential if they are to be passed quickly. However, given the current tense political climate in Turkey, cooperation of this kind is virtually impossible. The reform of the Turkish constitution, published by the government on 22 March and designed to bring the county into line with European standards (according to Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Ciçek) was immediately challenged by the main opposition party, the CHP (People's Republican Party). If the Bill falls in parliament, the government will put the reform to a referendum before the summer.
In his meeting with Chief Turkish Negotiator Egemen Bagis in Brussels on 25 March, Enlargement Commissioner Stafan Füle pleaded for “consensus” between the political parties and Turkish society players so that the necessary legislative reforms might be adopted by parliament. “Things might move very quickly, or they might drag on. It's difficult to tell what might happen. As there are lots of Bills before parliament, it will depend on the desire of the political parties to put the right issues at the top of the pile,” said a European source. For the moment, no further deputy-level technical negotiations are scheduled. June's ministerial accession conference will only take place if one or more new chapters can be opened, the source said. (H.B./transl.rt)