TURKEY | 25.06.2009

Turkey's Erdogan on critical mission to Brussels

Erdogan, left, faces an uphill battle on Turkey's EU entry bid

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan begins a difficult visit to Brussels on Thursday, as he tries to revive a stalled European Union entry bid in the face of new signs of hostility from some member states.

Erdogan's mission is a crucial one, coming at a time of EU enlargement fatigue in general, hostility toward Ankara in particular, and skepticism in Turkey itself about the benefits of membership in the 27-nation bloc.

The success of conservative parties opposed to Turkey's accession bid in European Parliament elections earlier this month has also dealt a blow to the negotiation process.

The EU wants Turkey to speed up political and economic reforms, including the removal of curbs on free speech, ensuring more rights for minorities and reducing the influence of the armed forces in government affairs.

But these reforms, long demanded by the EU, have fallen prey to Turkey's chronic political infighting; in particular, between the country's traditional secularists and Erdogan's own Islamist-rooted AK Party.

Most Europeans oppose Turkey's entry bid because it is a Moslem country, poor, and situated mostly in Asia

'Close to crunch time'

Any sign that Turkey is throwing in the towel could spell serious trouble for its membership bid and even have negative consequences for the country's political and economic stability, analysts say.

"We are getting very close to crunch time," said Amanda Akcakoca, a specialist on the issue at the European Policy Center in Brussels. "Turkey needs to think out of the box and do something unexpected to impress Europe."

In an effort to demonstrate his resolve, Erdogan said on Monday, ahead of his Brussels visit, that the Turkish parliament would not go into its summer recess until it passes legislation aimed at winning EU membership. AK party leaders said the bills pending included ones on real estate ownership, credit card regulation and the structure of Turkey's EU general secretariat office.

Other, more painful and controversial reforms demanded by the EU include amending Turkey's military-inspired constitution, which will not be discussed until parliament reconvenes in October.

The process has also been slowed by Ankara's refusal to recognize EU member Cyprus.

Turkey must address a credibility gap

Most of Germany's 2.5 million Turks are in favor of EU membership

Erdogan, apparently undaunted, repeated a warning earlier this week that European hostility toward Turkey's EU bid had caused a "serious erosion" of the country's enthusiasm for the accession process and could harm Turkish-EU relations.

But those remarks are not likely to make much of an impression on European Union officials. "The days when Turkey could say it was committed to reforms and win applause in Brussels are becoming fewer and fewer," says Hugh Pope, an analyst with the International Crisis Group. "Turkey needs to address a credibility gap."

The EU unanimously began accession talks with Turkey in 2005, but since then, negotiations have slowed to a crawl with the bloc deeply divided about accepting Turkey. Adding to the sense of limbo, so far only 10 of the 35 policy areas that candidates must complete have been opened, and eight of these have been frozen over the Cyprus dispute.

EU heavyweights Germany and France have been especially vocal in their opposition to full membership and instead have proposed a lesser alternative, which they have dubbed a "privileged partnership."

gb/AFP/AP/Reuters

Editor: Jennifer Abramsohn

dw