Strasbourg, 05/07/2005 (Agence Europe) - "Implement, implement, implement!" in the fields of human rights, the fight against torture, non-Muslim and religious minorities, women and unions, said Olli Rehn on the need for Turkey to apply the reforms it has adopted. The European Commissioner for Enlargement presented the negotiation mandate proposed by the Commission ahead of the opening of accession negotiations with Turkey this October (see EUROPE 8980) to the MEPs of the committee on foreign affairs on Monday evening. The members appeared to be divided in their opinions: some of them supported the Commission in its proceedings, others felt that the Commission had not taken on board the message sent out to them by the French and Dutch voters at the national referendums on the constitutional treaty. Women's rights will be one of the principal themes of the forthcoming report by the Commission on Turkey, said Olli Rehn. He pointed out that Jaakko Blomberg of Finland is a special adviser on the Cyprus dossier.
"By request of the European Council, the Commission proposed a very strict draft negotiation framework with Turkey", said Olli Rehn, stressing that "the Member States have to take a decision" before 3 October. He told the MEPs that there was not "much time left, July and August, to put the finishing touches to the text" of the decision by the Council, which must respect "two very strict conditions": 1) Turkey's implementation of the "legislation on human rights and the rule of law"; 2) the signature of the "protocol extending the association agreement to all the new Member States, including Cyprus". The protocol is likely to be signed "in the course of the summer", said the Commissioner. Olli Rehn added that the negotiation process is "a long haul, open-ended, and will not necessarily lead to accession". Referring to the two negative referendums held in France and the Netherlands, he said that "we are not blind". "The Commission is well aware of the views of the citizens", he said, and it intends to undertake "dialogue with civil society" between the citizens of the Member States and those of the candidate countries. It will ensure that " all of the conditions for accession are respected to the letter", particularly those related to the EU's "absorption capacity" and the "momentum of European integration". On the absorption capacity of the EU, Olli Rehn said that this was the first time that this notion had been referred to "explicitly", even though it had previously "existed between the lines".
Camiel Eurlings (EPP-ED, Netherlands), the rapporteur on Turkey, favourably welcomed the Commission's proposal: "the decisions taken correspond to a fair approach". He added: "it is absolutely imperative to launch the negotiation process and observe the reforms closely". In the view of Joost Lagendijk (Greens/EFA, Netherlands), "the Commission has rightly decided not to change direction" after the two negative votes in France and the Netherlands, and has "rightly added a paragraph" on Cyprus in the negotiation mandate. This is the "strictest and most rigorous proposal that has been put forward", said Annemie Neyts-Uyttenbroeck (ALDE, Belgium) stating that the MEPs should point out "the path to follow" to a population which, in her country, now travels to Turkey more than to Spain. Marie Anne Isler Beguin (Greens/EFA, France) thanked the Commission "for having confirmed" its work. Simon Coveney (EPP-ED, Ireland) said that he was "very pleased with the Commission's procedure". He feels that the future "European fundamental rights agency will play an independent role to ensure that fundamental rights are being observed".
The MEPs raised the political issues which have not yet been resolved, three months ahead of the planned opening of negotiations. On "religious freedom", Camiel Eurlings criticised the fact that the "Turkish parliament is not yet on the right track". He also insisted on the implementation of reforms on the ground: "unless human rights defence associations start to get some support, Turkey will end up harming itself". Hannes Swoboda (PES, Austria) said that "we need definite progress on the field of human rights, otherwise it will not work". Giorgios Dimitrakopoulos (EPP-ED, Greece) asked the Commission how it would tackle freedom of culture issues when Turkey would not recognise the rights of the Oecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul. He criticised "the continual violation of Greek airspace". Vittorio Agnoletto (GUE/NGL, Italy) raised the issue of the ill-treatment meted out to Kurdish prisoners in Turkey. Georgios Karatzaferis (IND/DEM, Greece) spoke out against the penalty of 10 years' imprisonment inflicted upon any Turkish citizen, "even members of the Parliament", who called for the Turkish army to be withdrawn from Cyprus or who criticised the Armenian genocide of 1915 in 1916. On this subject, Marie Anne Isler Beguin said that she was "not satisfied" and that the border should be opened, or at least the railway line.
On 29 June, the Commission proposed a negotiation mandate to begin negotiations with Turkey on 3 October 2005. This mandate, which has been published for the first time, contains 35 individual chapters to be concluded on the basis of tangible results observed on the ground in the implementation of the Community acquis.
For Member States that consider it necessary, the Commission foresees the possibility of requesting long transitional periods, derogations or permanent safeguard clauses in particularly sensitive areas (free movement of workers, agriculture, regional policy). It also proposes setting up an “emergency brake” that would allow accession talks to be suspended at any moment in the event of violation of the fundamental principles of rule of law.