Brussels, 20/09/2005 (Agence Europe) - Preparations for launching accession negotiations with Turkey, planned for Monday 3 October, have still not been finished. Ambassadors from the 25 had a priori reached an agreement on Monday evening at Coreper on the text of the EU's response to the Turkish declaration on non-recognition of Cyprus, an agreement that depends on the consultation of a number of European capitals, particularly the Cypriot president, Tassos Papadopoulos. The declaration should have been formally adopted on Tuesday, without debate, by the Agriculture Council.
According to European sources Cyprus finally blocked the adoption of the declaration on Tuesday, not because of the substance of the text but because of the passage the British presidency wanted to put in the preamble to the declaration. According to the preamble, Member States would be committed to questions covered in the declaration not being “reopened during the discussion of the negotiating framework”. Cypriot sources are keen to point out that the text in the revised text “will continue its examination” but refused to comment on the preamble. Nevertheless, president Papadopoulos informed the press in Nicosia on Tuesday that there were Member States of the EU affirming that negotiations with Ankara had to start on 3 October.
These issues covered by the declarations, are above all, about the application of the customs union agreement with Cyprus and recognition of the latter. Discussions on the framework of the negotiations on accession are expected to start up again on Wednesday at Coreper. A diplomat from one Member States explained that although the principle of not starting discussions up again on the revised text, which had been going on for more than two weeks, is understandable, setting this down in stone is not to Cyprus's liking and it wants to have the opportunity of intervening on these subjects on Wednesday. Another European diplomat stressed that Cyprus had already obtained most of its demands in the revised declaration.
In the draft declaration on which ambassadors from the 25 had supposedly reached an agreement in the evening of 19 September, the European Union “regrets” that Turkey, during the signing on 29 July of the protocol for extending customs union with all new Member States, including Cyprus, declared that this did not mean that it recognised the latter. Member States consider that this unilateral declaration has no legal jurisdiction at all and does not absolve Turkey from its obligation to “full, non-discriminatory implementation” of customs union with Cyprus. The draft encourages the 25 to insist on Turkey's obligation to remove restrictions on transport. Until now Turkey has refused all access to Cypriot boats or planes to its territory. Above all, the draft declaration explains that the EU will assess respect of these obligations in 2006 and underlines that if Turkey does not respect them, accession negotiations could be seriously affected.
The revised declaration stipulates that Cypriot and Greek demands for recognition of Cyprus is “a necessary component of the accession process” and not only a condition for access but for the negotiation process. The revised declaration also calls for “”the normalisation of relations between Turkey and all EU Member States, as soon as possible”.
In Wednesday's discussions at Coreper on the negotiations mandate, Member States are expected to bring up the matter of defining the “absorption capacity” of the European Union in regard to a new member like Turkey. This will involve financial and institutional criteria, indicated one diplomatic source.