Brussels, 17/12/2004 (Agence Europe) - The European Union with start negotiations with Turkey on 3 October 2005. This historic decision was taken on Friday afternoon by the twenty-five heads of state and government of the European Union, meeting at the European Council in Brussels. Having verged on a total derailment of the process because of tensions over the status of Cyprus and the issue of extending the EU/Turkey customs union to Cyprus, after believing on Friday morning that the negotiations might not be launched, the numerous wranglings and small-scale committee meetings, the situation was rescued in the afternoon. The twenty-five will launch a process of "open" negotiations with Turkey with no "guaranteed" outcome but with a clear objective of "accession" with no reference to an alternative to accession. Turkey could see permanent safeguard clauses imposed.
The conclusion text
The European Council decided that, taking in to account the "decisive progress made by Turkey in its far-reaching reform process", Ankara "sufficiently fulfils the Copenhagen political criteria to open accession negotiations". The text clearly indicates that the "common objective of negotiations is accession". "These negotiations will be an open process with no outcome guaranteed in advance", the conclusions clearly state, which is a word-for-word replica of the European Commission opinion of 6 October. It states that "taking into account all the Copenhagen criteria, if the candidate is not able to fully assume all the obligations linked to membership, it should be ensured that the candidate is fully anchored in the European structures with the strongest possible bond".
To resolve the issue of the status of Cyprus and its relations with Turkey, the European Council finally adopted the following text: "the European Council welcomed Turkey's decision to sign the Protocol regarding the adaptation of the Ankara Agreement, taking account of the accession of the ten new Member States. In this light, it welcomed the declaration of Turkey that "the Turkish government confirms that it is ready to sign the Protocol on the adaptation of the Ankara Agreement prior to the start of actual accession negotiations and after reaching agreement on and finalising the adaptations which are necessary in view of the current membership of the European Union"". The controversial annexe adopted by the twenty-five at dinner on Thursday evening almost scuppered the launch of negotiations because Turkey would not accept demands to initial the text on Friday disappeared (see p.5). After the brush with crisis on the Cyprus issue, with Cyprus and Turkey both standing by their opposing positions, the twenty-five finally went back to a text very close to how it looked before dinner on Thursday. The other point which caused problems was the transition periods and permanent safeguard clauses, which neither Turkey nor its supporters wanted, but which were finally included in the text with precise details about the scope of permanent safeguard clauses, indicating that it would be possible to impose such clauses at any time, but that they would not be imposed in a permanent and definitive way. The European Council declared that "long transition periods, derogations, special arrangements or permanent safeguard clauses, that is which will be permanently available, could be introduced. The European Commission will include such provisions, where necessary, in its proposals for each area, such as free movement of persons, structural policies or agriculture. The member states shall be able to intervene as much as possible in the decision-making process concerning the free movement of persons".
Turkey has taken the hand which Europe extended to it, says Jan Peter Balkenende
"The European Council has taken the decision to open accession negotiations with Turkey and Croatia and to conclude negotiations with Bulgaria and Romania" said the President of the European Council, Jan Peter Balkenende, presenting the main decisions adopted on Friday by the twenty-five to the press. "Turkey has taken the hand which we extended to it", said the Dutch Prime Minister, acknowledging that discussions had been difficult: "The most sensitive point was the issue of Cyprus. Yesterday evening, last night, this morning we talked about it extensively". Discussions enabled "a decision which commits the Union for the 21st century" to be taken unanimously to open the path to accession to Turkey, said the President of the European Council, explaining that the agreement made in Brussels takes account of Turkey's commitment to sign the Ankara Protocol before opening negotiations, on 3 October 2005. In answer to a question, Jan Peter Balkenende specified that this does not constitute formal recognition of the Republic of Cyprus but is "a step that can lead to progress in this field".
The president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, welcomed a decision that he believes is of "very special importance" and which is "not only good for Turkey but also good for the European Union". He warned, however, that "this is only the beginning of the process. It is only the beginning". "We must now create a positive thrust forward", he said. "No, no traps", José Manuel Barroso told a journalist who asked him if there wasn't a catch to all this. "I really believe that the Member States want Turkey to become a member, otherwise we would not have made today's decision (…). We want to reach a conclusion and I believe we have made a great step forward", he said.
Speaking at a press conference, the Turkish Prime Minister hailed the fact that, above all, an exact date was set for opening talks. The prime minister welcomed the fact that the aim of talks is full and "unambiguous" membership. This, he said, is a reward for 41 years' hard work, but it is also a point of departure. He nonetheless went on to state that it would be exaggerated to say they are 100% pleased. Mr Erdogan stressed that, over the past two days, they have learnt how the European Union's compromise culture works. Turkey will now set its team of negotiators in place, he said. The Turkish prime minister clearly said he considered that extension of the Ankara Protocol "is under no circumstances recognition of Cyprus". He was speaking before Turkish diplomats and deputies, who applauded his entry.
Chancellor Schüssel said he was above all pleased with the fact that the EU's absorption capacity is recognised as being a criterion for accession. Mr Schüssel told the press that he would propose "again tonight" that his party organise a referendum in Austria on Turkey's accession to the EU after the negotiation process. "The Austrian people must be consulted (…). It is not a decision that the Parliament can take alone", he said. Mr Schüssel did not leave any doubt that Austria would call for permanent safeguard clauses on migration and the movement of workers, as it hopes to "keep control" of its labour market and its migration and family reunification policy.
Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker spoke of a "historic decision" that Luxembourg welcomes, even if the agreement was not reached until after a "sometimes almost unbearable debate" on Cyprus. He also said he was pleased that "all the Copenhagen criteria keep their full value, including that which provides for the Union to have the capacity to absorb the new members". Turkey's commitment to sign the protocol on extension of the Ankara agreement should allow the country to inaugurate "better thought-out" relations with Cyprus and to begin a process of normalisation in their relations.
Chancellor Schröder, who had to leave the meeting in a hurry (before finalisation of the text on Cyprus) because of a vote at the Bundestag, told the press he was "very pleased" with discussions. He specified that he is not opposed to the opinion defended by the "great majority" of European leaders that the signing of the Ankara Agreement Protocol should not be "formal recognition" but only de facto recognition of Cyprus.
Tony Blair, British Prime Minister, expressed great satisfaction: "It is good for Europe and good for Turkey (…). Of course, there will be lengthy negotiation". He congratulated the Turkish leaders for their leadership in favour of change. We have a date and we have an indication for Turkey that it will sign the Ankara Protocol, which is equivalent to "formal and legal recognition" of Cyprus, he said. Responding to the public concern, he said that "everyone is sensitive (…). We are at the beginning of a process. There is still much to be discussed". What counts, he says, is the fundamental principle which has been reached: it is not because a country is Muslim that it must remain outside the European Union. This will contribute to increase security in Europe and in the world.
President Jacques Chirac of France told the press several times that, even if the EU has set itself the goal of Turkey's membership, "no one can tell what the result will be" and the opening of talks does not mean accession. He went on to warn: "It is not a matter of seeking compromises on essential issues" such as the Copenhagen criteria. In his view, the agreement reached in Brussels places Turkey before its responsibilities. He said: "Turkey has given its agreement in a declaration to sign the Ankara Protocol", which is a preliminary to opening talks. From now on, "Turkey must choose: either it signs and the talks begin, or it does not sign and the talks do not begin", Mr Chirac said. On the subject of the Armenian genocide, he said: "This work of memory must be considered as an inescapable need and I cannot imagine that Turkey cannot do this work of memory. I am sure it will". If it does not, during the French referendum on the Accession Treaty for Turkey's EU membership, "I have no doubt that the French will take this into account". The "road will be long and difficult" and the "process will probably take 10 to 15 years" but "I am quite sure" the EU and Turkey will in the end reach a "marriage that is to the advantage of both parties", he concluded.
Silvio Berlusconi said this is an important day for the history of Europe. Italy's participation in the debates was good, sometimes determining, he said. Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Zapatero welcomed the fact that the opening of talks with Turkey comes under the European project, since it is a matter of "peace", "growth" and "defence of the values that make up our identity".
20 hours of suspense and bargaining over Cyprus
"It is an offer which Turkey should have be happy to accept", Commission President José Manuel Barroso felt able to declare to a press conference on Thursday just before midnight. In fact, things were ultimately a bit more complicated.
The issue of Cyprus took centre-stage at the European Council on Thursday evening, night and throughout the morning on Friday, relegating differences on the finality of negotiations or the date, issues on which agreement was reached more swiftly, to second place. Over dinner, the Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos piled on the pressure, say diplomats. Cyprus insisted on and obtained a commitment for the twenty-five to demand that Turkey initial the protocol to the Ankara Agreement from this Friday at the dinner, which lasted three hours; the other member states had only planned to demand a verbal commitment to sign the agreement. Turkey deemed this annexe to be "unacceptable", said a Turkish diplomat on Friday morning. "There is no question of this, it is not done, it is a question of principle, we cannot accept being made subject of a diktat like that", said the diplomat. The Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, however, had made declarations on Thursday indicating that he was prepared to make progress on Cyprus - but he specified "after 17 December" and refused to have his hand forced, said Turkish and European diplomats.
In this context, the Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan talked for two hours on Thursday evening without the Turkish Prime Minister agreeing to it. They resumed their tête-à-tête on Friday morning for almost two hours, again without a breakthrough, and delaying the beginning of the European Council meeting. "The 25 are waiting", said a diplomat. Subsequent discussion with the Turkish Prime minister was conducted by the Dutch Minister for Foreign Affairs, Bernard Bot, while Jan Peter Balkenende returned to start the European Council.
During Friday morning, Jan Peter Balkenende, Tony Blair, Costas Karamanlis, Gerhard Schröder and Jacques Chirac met to try to find a solution. They tested the Cypriot and Turkish positions. On Friday morning, European diplomats tried to play down the difficulties: Turkey has a problem with the wording of some things, not the principle, said some of them.
In fact, the twenty-four tried to retrace their steps, to persuade the Cypriots to renounce what had been granted to them the previous evening, that is the demand to initial the protocol to the Ankara Agreement on Friday. Thus, on Friday morning, they arrived back at the idea of contenting themselves with a verbal agreement to sign the protocol from the Turkish Prime Minister, so, in effect, what had been envisaged before the dinner. This is what finally happened. A final meeting between Messrs Balkenende, Barroso, Blair, Schröder and Erdogan enabled the situation to be unblocked before the 25 heads of state and government of the European Union returned to the plenary and finally accepted the solution.
The French position rapidly unblocked the question of the openness of negotiations
The Dutch Presidency had started by distributing small sections of text during dinner containing proposals for the missing sections of the conclusions, which were in fact the most sensitive sections; that is, the openness of negotiations, the date and the Cyprus issue. The problem of the date was solved rapidly, and the question of the openness of negotiations took barely longer, diplomats indicated.
French President Jacques Chirac's decision to stop pushing for a privileged partnership or other alternative to accession enabled the question of the finality of negotiations to be resolved fairly rapidly, arriving at a wording very close to that of the European Commission, apart from the fact that it specifies that "if a candidate cannot assume all accession obligations, it must be ensured that they remain firmly anchored within European structures with the strongest link possible". "The President took decisive action", we agreed on more or less the Commission's wording, said a French source.
The issue of safeguard clauses was not discussed on Friday evening, on the principle that the text would remain as is, with a mention of the option of permanent safeguard clauses if the text approved by the twenty-five is unaltered. It was on this condition that countries like France accepted it on Thursday night without insisting on alternatives to negotiations, said diplomats.