EU COPENHAGEN SUMMIT - GOI CITES PROGRESS ON

1. (C) SUMMARY: ON DECEMBER 17, MFA DIRECTOR GENERAL FOR
EUROPEAN INTEGRATION ROCCO CANGELOSI TOLD POLITICAL
MINISTER-COUNSELOR TOM COUNTRYMAN THAT THE GOI WAS, IN
GENERAL, PLEASED WITH THE RESULTS IN COPENHAGEN. WHILE
ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THE DECISION ON TURKEY COULD HAVE BEEN
MORE POSITIVE, HE FOCUSED ON THE NEED TO KEEP THE PRESSURE ON
TURKEY TO CONTINUE WITH REFORMS AND BE MORE COOPERATIVE ON
CYPRUS. CANGELOSI'S RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE MFA
PREPARATIONS FOR THE ITALIAN EU PRESIDENCY BEGINNING JULY
2003, AND HE PROVIDED AN OUTLINE OF GOI PRIORITIES. FM
FRATTINI TOLD PARLIAMENT THAT THE LANGUAGE ON TURKEY WAS AN
"ACCEPTABLE COMPROMISE," PAVING THE WAY FOR TURKISH AGREEMENT
ON ESDP COOPERATION WITH NATO, AND CONFIRMED THE ITALIAN AND
GREEK PRESIDENCIES WOULD REFOCUS EU ATTENTION ON BALKAN AND
MED ISSUES. FRATTINI SAID THAT THE ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF
ENLARGEMENT WOULD OUTWEIGH THE COSTS. END SUMMARY



2. (C) CANGELOSI EMPHASIZED THE HISTORICAL IMPORT OF THE
DECISION TAKEN IN COPENHAGEN TO ENLARGE THE EU TO 25 MEMBERS
ON MAY 1, 2004. WHILE THE NEW MEMBERS WILL OF COURSE REQUIRE
AN "INTEGRATION PERIOD," THE PROCESS FOR THE 10 IS
IRREVERSIBLE AND HE PREDICTED THAT THERE WOULD BE "NO
SURPRISES" WITH ANY REQUIRED REFERENDA. ENLARGEMENT WILL
INCREASE STABILITY AND BOOST THE INTERNAL EUROPEAN MARKET; IT
ALSO MEANS THAT THE EU MUST REFORM ITS INSTITUTIONS. IT
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CANNOT OPERATE AT 25 AS IT DID AT 15. REFORMS TO INCLUDE
QUALIFIED MAJORITY VOTING AND AMENDING THE SIX-MONTH ROTATING
PRESIDENCY WOULD BE NECESSARY, AND IT WILL BE UP TO THE GREEK
AND ITALIAN PRESIDENCIES TO DO THEIR PART TO PUSH THE REFORMS
THROUGH. CANGELOSI DESCRIBED THE REQUIRED REFORMS AS
EVOLUTION, NOT REVOLUTION; ADJUSTMENTS, NOT DEEP CHANGES.



3. (C) IN RESPONSE TO POLMIN'S APPRECIATION FOR THE GOI'S
STRONG SUPPORT FOR AN ACCESSION DATE FOR TURKEY, CANGELOSI
ASSERTED THAT IF NOT FOR PMS BERLUSCONI AND BLAIR'S
INTERVENTION, THE SUMMIT STATEMENT WOULD HAVE BEEN EVEN LESS
FORWARD-LEANING ON TURKEY'S EU ASPIRATIONS. TURKEY SHOULD
LOOK UPON COPENHAGEN AS A VICTORY. WE MUST NOW KEEP THE
PRESSURE ON TURKEY TO IMPLEMENT LEGISLATION AND KEEP ITS
PROMISES ON POLITICAL, ECONOMIC AND HUMAN RIGHTS REFORMS. HE
CONCEDED THAT PUBLIC AND PARLIAMENTARY OPINION IN EUROPE,
INCLUDING IN ITALY, WAS "SKEPTICAL" ON TURKEY, BUT ITS
INTEGRATION WITH EUROPE COULD DEMONSTRATE TO EUROPEAN AND
ISLAMIC COUNTRIES ALIKE THAT THERE IS A PLACE FOR A MUSLIM
NATION IN THE EU.



4. (C) MOVEMENT ON CYPRUS WAS LESS ENCOURAGING, BUT ACCORDING
TO CANGELOSI THE TURKISH CYPRIOTS WERE ANGRY AND FRUSTRATED
WITH DENKTASH FOR NOT MAKING PROGRESS IN COPENHAGEN. THEY
REALIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE EU TO THEIR OWN ECONOMIC
INTERESTS, AND WILL HOPEFULLY PRESSURE DENKTASH TO BE MORE
COOPERATIVE. FURTHER, HE CONTINUED, TURKEY WILL NOT ALLOW
THE PROCESS TO MOVE BACKWARD.



5. (C) THE GOI IS PLEASED WITH THE PROGRESS ON
ESDI/BERLIN-PLUS IN COPENHAGEN, SAID CANGELOSI, AND LOOKS
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FORWARD TO THE FIRST TEST OF THE EUROPEAN DEFENSE CAPABILITY
IN MACEDONIA IN TASK FORCE FOX FOLLOW-ON AS EARLY AS SPRING


2003. THESE DEVELOPMENTS WOULD ALLOW EUROPE TO TAKE MORE
DIRECT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE BALKANS. HE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT
MORE WORK WAS NEEDED ON THE DETAILS OF THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN NATO AND ESDP TO AVOID DUPLICATION, AND EUROPE MUST
INCREASE DEFENSE SPENDING.



6. (C) CANGELOSI WAS PLEASED THAT THE COPENHAGEN
CONCLUSIONS HIGHLIGHTED THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTINUED PROGRESS
AND EU ENGAGEMENT IN THE BALKANS, AND NOTED THAT BOTH THE
GREEK AND ITALIAN PRESIDENCIES WOULD MAKE BALKAN (ZAGREB
PROCESS) AND MEDITERRANEAN (BARCELONA PROCESS) REGIONAL
STABILIZATION PRIORITIES IN THEIR RESPECTIVE PRESIDENCIES.
OTHER ITALIAN PRESIDENCY PRIORITIES WILL INCLUDE:

- THE INTER GOVERNMENTAL CONFERENCE AND SIGNING THE
"CONSTITUTION" DURING THE ITALIAN PRESIDENCY, WHICH WOULD
AVOID AN "INSTITUTIONAL BOTTLENECK" IN 2004, WHEN THE
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS, ENLARGEMENT, AND COMMISSION
SELECTION WOULD ALL OCCUR (SEPTEL REPORTS ON FRATTINI'S AND
DEP PM FINI'S REMARKS ON CONVENTION PROGRESS);

- FINAL ENLARGEMENT ARRANGEMENTS;

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CONFIDENTIAL PTQ8647

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ACTION EUR-00

INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AID-00 CIAE-00 COME-00 DINT-00 DODE-00
DOEE-00 PERC-00 SRPP-00 DS-00 EAP-00 EB-00 E-00
FBIE-00 VC-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 LAB-01
L-00 VCE-00 AC-01 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 NSF-01 OES-00
OIC-02 OMB-01 DHS-00 PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00
P-00 SCT-00 SP-00 SSO-00 SS-00 TRSE-00 T-00
USIE-00 EPAE-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 PRM-00 DRL-02 G-00
NFAT-00 SAS-00 /009W


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19A392 181432Z /38
P 181424Z DEC 02
FM AMEMBASSY ROME
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7374
INFO EU CANDIDATE STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
EU INTEREST COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
AMCONSUL FLORENCE PRIORITY
AMCONSUL MILAN PRIORITY
AMCONSUL NAPLES PRIORITY
USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY 3017

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 ROME 006037

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/WE AND EUR/ERA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/18/2012
TAGS: PREL TU CY TU CY IT EUN ITPREL EUN
SUBJECT: EU COPENHAGEN SUMMIT - GOI CITES PROGRESS ON
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PAGE 02 ROME 06037 02 OF 02 181431Z
TURKEY, ESDP; LOOKS TO ITS PRESIDENCY TO CONTINUE MOMENTUM
ON ENLARGEMENT, INSTITUTIONAL REFORM; FOCUS ON BALKANS; MED

- RESTART OF THE LISBON PROCESS (ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS);

- JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS, ESPECIALLY IMMIGRATION.



7. (U) LATER IN THE DAY, FM FRATTINI GAVE HIS VIEWS ON
COPENHAGEN RESULTS TO PARLIAMENT. HE CHARACTERIZED THE
LANGUAGE ON TURKEY AS AN "ACCEPTABLE COMPROMISE" AND SAID
THAT IF TURKEY CONTINUES TO PROGRESS ON REFORMS, IT SHOULD
BEGIN NEGOTIATIONS "WITHOUT DELAY" AFTER THE DECEMBER 2004
REVIEW. THE COMPROMISE ENGENDERED PROGRESS ON BERLIN-PLUS,
PAVING THE WAY FOR ESDP MILITARY DEPLOYMENT IN MACEDONIA POST
TASK FORCE FOX. HE CONFIRMED THAT THE GREEK AND ITALIAN
PRESIDENCIES WILL "REBALANCE" THE EU'S ATTENTION TOWARDS THE
BALKANS AND MED.



8. (U) FRATTINI TOLD THE PARLIAMENT THAT THE BENEFITS FROM
ENLARGEMENT -- WIDER MARKETS, INCREASED INVESTMENTS -- WILL
BE GREATER THAN THE COSTS (APPROXIMATELY 40 BILLION EUROS).
HE ADDED THAT ITALY HAD OBTAINED A "GUARANTEE" THAT
STRUCTURAL FUNDS WOULD NOT BE REDUCED, AND WOULD BE INVOLVED
IN NEGOTIATIONS IN BRUSSELS TO PREVENT THEIR BEING CURTAILED.
FRATTINI MADE THESE REMARKS WITHOUT ELABORATION. POST WILL
FOLLOW UP WITH APPROPRIATE INTERLOCUTORS FOR FURTHER DETAILS.
SEMBLER

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2002ROME06037 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL