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June 29, 2005
Journeys and destinations
More details come to light regarding Turkey's pending EU accession talks:
Turkey will face the toughest test ever presented to a candidate for entry to the European Union and might have to settle for less than full membership, the European Commission said yesterday.
Setting out the Commission's proposals for negotiations with Ankara, Olli Rehn, enlargement Commissioner, said Turkey would face the "most rigorous" test of any EU candidate to date, while several of his colleagues called for a "privileged partnership" instead of membership.
"It certainly will be a long and difficult journey, but the journey is as important as the destination," Mr Rehn said, emphasising the reforms Turkey would need to carry out during the talks. [emphasis mine]
The FT goes on to note that Austria and Cyprus, in particular, are most likely to have issues with the Commission's proposals. Austria is said to want a more explicit reference to the "privileged partnership" option, and Cyprus' concerns are self-evident. Add to these concerns the EU's shaken confidence in the wake of the constitution's implosion, and Turkey's road to membership is certainly a rocky one.
Rehn is correct, however, in emphasizing the importance of the journey. EU membership, in and of itself, is only one benefit of accession (and some would argue it's not that much of a benefit). The process of meeting the EU's strict standards for free markets and liberal politics is perhaps an even greater benefit. That Turkey's accession will be the "most rigorous" is altogether fitting. Not only does the resistance to Turkish membership likely exceed that of all other aspiring member states, but Turkey itself has the longest way to go in meeting the EU's standards.
In the face of EU resistance, there are signs that Turkish patience is growing thin. But Erdogan, to his credit, is sticking to his guns:
The modern values and civilization process represented by the EU did not contradict the ideals of the republic, [Erdogan] said.
“Let no one doubt the fact that our objectives on democracy, justice, development and progress will be completed as soon as possible, no matter how fast or slow Turkey's accession process is. A strong Turkey is important for Europe and the world. The merging of different cultures under universal values, represented by Turkey's EU membership, will be a gain for the world,” he added.
One must hope that full membership eventually does come Turkey's way. But if and when it does, its value will be mostly symbolic. The true benefits to Turkey's politics, economics, and society will already have been realized.
Posted by Daniel Widome at 11:50 PM to Europe
