GOT CONCERNED FRENCH PROPOSAL COULD STALL EU

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 001479

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/21/2026
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM OSCE EU TU
SUBJECT: GOT CONCERNED FRENCH PROPOSAL COULD STALL EU
ACCESSION


Classified by Polcouns Janice G. Weiner; reasons 1.4 b and d.


1. (U) Summary: GOT and UK Embassy contacts say they are
concerned about a French-led proposal that would require
Turkey -- and perhaps other accession candidates -- to make
progress on human rights reforms before opening talks on EU
acquis chapters. GOT officials called the proposal a
"headache" that could slow Turkey's accession process and
heighten the feeling among Turks that the EU is treating them
unfairly. EU states are divided over the proposal, and it is
not clear how much of it might be enacted. The GOT,
meanwhile, has promised to approe 10 pieces of reform
legislation by July. En Summary.

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Proposal Would Complicate Acquis Process
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2. (C) Stephen McCormick, econ/pol officer at the UK Embassy,
told us March 17 that the UK is concerned that a French
proposal to require the GOT to make progress on EU-related
human rights reforms before opening certain acquis chapters
could impede Turkey's accession negotiations. Under the
proposal, the EU would establish benchmarks requiring that
Turkey enact legal reforms related to the Copenhagen Criteria
before talks could begin on certain acquis chapters. This
would mark a departure from past EU practice; traditionally,
candidate states proceed on separate tracks toward the
Copenhagen Criteria, which set broad standards of human
rights and democracy, and the acquis, an 80,000-page document
divided into 33 chapters establishing detailed
legal/regulatory requirements in numerous fields.


3. (C) The European Council recently agreed to open talks
with Turkey on the Science and Research acquis chapter. The
GOT is preparing to respond with its negotiating position,
which will allow the two sides to formally open the first
chapter of Turkey's accession talks. The second chapter in
the pipeline was Education and Culture, which, like Science
and Research, is considered an "easy" chapter because it
involves very few acquis requirements. However, McCormick
told us the French proposal has stalled the process. The
French want to set benchmarks requiring Turkey to enact
reforms related to minority-language education before the
Education and Culture chapter can be opened. Minority
languages, particularly Kurdish, are highly controversial in
Turkey, and the proposal would therefore transform this easy
chapter into a political dispute.

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EU Sharply Divided
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4. (C) McCormick said the EU is sharply divided over the
proposal: Germany, Greece, Cyprus, Denmark, and Austria
support the French, while the UK, Spain, Sweden, Finland,
Poland, and the European Commission are opposed. The
European Council's Working Group on Enlargement was unable to
resolve the dispute in meetings March 7 and 10. McCormick
said compromise will have to be reached at a higher level,
possibly at Coreper. He said the UK, often criticized in the
EU as "Turkey's advocate," has been letting other states lead
the opposition. Unlike in past EU squabbles over Turkey, the
UK is not alone this time. Spain has been particularly
outspoken in criticizing the proposal. Opponents of the plan
argue that it is unfair to combine the Copenhagen Criteria
with the acquis when this was not done for past candidates.


5. (C) It is not clear yet how much of the French proposal
might be enacted. Since the EU must decide by consensus,
McCormick said, there will likely be a compromise under which
some Copenhagen benchmarks will be attached to the chapters,
but not as many as proponents want. Though clearly aimed at
Turkey, the proposal would presumably also have to be applied
to Croatia and other candidate states. McCormick speculated
that if Croatia, which enjoys more support within the EU than
Turkey, objects to the idea, the proposal could be watered
down.


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GOT: "A Headache, Not A Crisis"
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6. (C) FM Gul told reporters March 16 that linking human
rights reforms to the acquis is "out of the question." Ahmet
Dogan and Nuket Tamer, officials at the GOT's Secretariat
General for EU Affairs, were less categorical when we
discussed the issue with them March 17. They told us they
are concerned about the proposal, but said they view it as
just one of many examples of EU "double standards" toward
Turkey. Dogan called the proposal "a headache, but not a
crisis," and averred that the Cyprus issue presents a more
serious threat to Turkey's candidacy. He said the GOT fully
intends to meet the Copenhagen Criteria, so a decision to
link the Criteria to the acquis would stall, but not sink,
Turkey's candidacy. Nevertheless, Dogan and Tamer agreed,
the proposal will add to the feeling among Turks that the EU
treats Turkey differently from other candidates. Tamer said
many Turks are irritated that the Cyprus issue has become a
de facto criterion for Turkey's EU candidacy. She said the
failure of the EU to alleviate the isolation of the "TRNC"
has contributed to a decline in public support for EU
membership among Turks, and this latest proposal threatens to
further erode that support.

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GOT Promises New Reforms
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7. (C) While the EU debates the proposal, the GOT and
European Commission continue the accession process. A
contact at the European Commission's Ankara office told us
the Commission should complete the screening of all 33 acquis
chapters by October. The GOT has also promised progress on
the Copenhagen Criteria. The GOT's Reform Monitoring Group
-- comprising FM Gul and other leaders -- announced March 15
that Parliament intends to adopt 10 EU-related legal reforms
before recessing in July. Pending legislation includes bills
that would establish a GOT ombudsman, allow religious
minorities to reclaim some expropriated properties, and
eliminate the requirement that minority religious schools
hire a Muslim vice principal. The announcement was an
apparent response to EU pressure -- a number of EU contacts
have told us that Enlargement Commissioner Rehn urged Gul at
the March 8 EU Troika meeting to rejuvenate the GOT's stalled
human rights reforms. Dogan and Tamer acknowledged to us
that the GOT wants Parliament to adopt the reform legislation
before the next EU Progress Report on Turkey, expected in
October or November.

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Comment: A Reflection of European Domestic Politics
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8. (C) This proposal appears to reflect widespread doubts
within the EU about enlargement in general, and Turkish
accession in particular. Given domestic political concerns,
few European leaders these days are focused on the strategic
benefits of keeping Turkey's EU candidacy on track.
Commissioner Rehn is, however, right to point out that the
GOT has lost momentum on political reforms since opening
accession talks with the EU in October 2005. The GOT can
improve its position and help build allies within the EU by
following through on its promise of further reform.

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WILSON