Brussels, 16/05/2012 (Agence Europe) - Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Füle will officially launch the positive agenda in EU-Turkey relations on Thursday 17 May. “We want to trigger a new virtuous circle in EU-Turkey relations”, he said on Wednesday. He said the aim of the positive agenda is to “provide new momentum to Turkey's accession process”. “The objective of the positive agenda is to make concrete progress in a number of areas of joint interest where such progress is both needed and feasible”, he added. These areas will include, for example, alignment of Turkish law with EU law, trade and the customs union, foreign policy, energy and the movement of Turkish citizens in the EU. A first list of eight working groups each devoted to a specific chapter of the acquis communautaire has been set up. The group on the judiciary and fundamental rights will be the first to be launched this Thursday.
In Brussels, on Tuesday 15 May, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan said that his country was “not only still keen to join the EU but is determined to join”, despite the crisis in Europe. He said, however, that Turkey could not, for the moment, open other chapters. Some are deadlocked in the Council, others unilaterally held up by France and Cyprus, and Ankara itself does not want to open three (competitiveness, public procurement and social policy).
Progress with France. Turkish newspaper Hürriyet Daily News has reported that, following the presidential election, France had sent positive signals to EU and Turkish diplomats on freeing up the five chapters that had been blocked by the former government of Nicolas Sarkozy. According to the Turkish media, the chapter on monetary policies could be opened before the end of the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU in June. This will be a big ask as no decision will be taken before the parliamentary elections in France on 10 and 17 June. If it proves not to be possible, nothing will be done before 2013, as the Turkish government has made it clear that no chapters will be opened during the Cypriot Presidency of the EU. Turkey does not recognise Cyprus and wants no contact with it.
On Wednesday, Cypriot Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis announced that her country would not veto the opening of any chapters released by France. She said she supported “Turkey's European future” and that she was “ready to work with the European Commission if Turkey decides to go down that route”. If, however, Turkey decides to move to “plan B”, that is to say, “something between recognition of two separate states and possible linking of Northern Cyprus to Turkey” or if Turkey continues to threaten Cyprus's exclusive economic area, Cyprus will ask the Council to act, Kozakou-Marcoullis stated. (CG/transl.rt)