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EUObserver.com
October 7, 2005
Fresh controversy between Ankara and Brussels over Cyprus
by Mark Beunderman
ANCHORS: Lisbeth Kirk
Just days after the historic opening of Turkish EU membership talks,
fresh controversy has already emerged between Ankara and Brussels
over Cyprus.
Just days after the historic opening of Turkish EU membership talks,
fresh controversy has already emerged between Ankara and Brussels
over Cyprus.
The spat concerns Ankara's implementation of a customs agreement with
the EU, which it agreed to extend to all new EU member states in June
- including Cyprus, which Turkey refuses to recognise.
In practical terms, this means that Turkey is obliged to stop
blocking Cypriot ships and planes from its territory.
During a visit to Turkey on Thursday (6 October), EU enlargement
commissioner Olli Rehn said, according to press reports, that the EU
expects Turkey's parliament to ratify the agreement "without delay
and in good faith".
Ankara must then fully implement the agreement, he added.
But in a TV interview, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
reacted by saying that "there's no need to rush" in ratifying the
agreement.
Mr Erdogan said that the EU should instead first open trade to the
Turkish-occupied northern part of Cyprus, and release its financial
aid package for northern Cyprus which is now being blocked by the
Cypriot government.
An EU financial aid package of 259 million euros to Turkish Cypriots,
which was offered in April 2004 when Greek Cypriots voted down a UN
reunification plan, is still waiting to be released from EU coffers.
The Cypriot government is blocking the release of the package, as it
disagrees with a free trade scheme for Northern Cyprus, which the
Commission proposed later.
Nicosia argues that free trade with the north would mean a de facto
recognition of the Turkish-occupied North.
The Commission's efforts to push Ankara to implement the customs
agreement were dealt a blow last week, as a majority in the European
Parliament suspended the EU's own ratification of the deal, arguing
that there were not enough assurances on Ankara's commitment to the
customs agreement.
Mr Rehn said the parliament's move did "not strengthen our position
in urging Turkey to stick to its commitment."
Human rights record
Now that Turkey has started accession talks with Brussels, further
difficulties are set to arise over what is expected to be a highly
critical report by the commission on human rights, to be released in
November.
Mr Rehn urged Ankara on Thursday to step up political reforms warning
that the EU executive would in its regular progress report, due next
month, point to Turkish human rights shortcomings.
"This means rigorously implementing political reforms in the areas of
the rule of law, human rights, women's rights, the rights of
religious communities and trade unions", Mr Rehn said.
He added that this implied "to make the rule of law an everyday
reality in all walks of life".
The commission in the up-run to accession talks already expressed
serious concern over Ankara's actual implementation of its political
reforms.
Brussels' concern focussed recently on the decision by a Turkish
court to file charges against the author, Orhan Pamuk, who had raised
the issue of the Armenian genocide in 1915.
The Istanbul prosecutor's charges against Mr Pamuk were made despite
a new penal code along EU standards that Ankara was forced to adopt
as a condition to open accession talks.
Mr Rehn in September called the move by the Turkish prosecutor a
"provocation".
October 7, 2005
Fresh controversy between Ankara and Brussels over Cyprus
by Mark Beunderman
ANCHORS: Lisbeth Kirk
Just days after the historic opening of Turkish EU membership talks,
fresh controversy has already emerged between Ankara and Brussels
over Cyprus.
Just days after the historic opening of Turkish EU membership talks,
fresh controversy has already emerged between Ankara and Brussels
over Cyprus.
The spat concerns Ankara's implementation of a customs agreement with
the EU, which it agreed to extend to all new EU member states in June
- including Cyprus, which Turkey refuses to recognise.
In practical terms, this means that Turkey is obliged to stop
blocking Cypriot ships and planes from its territory.
During a visit to Turkey on Thursday (6 October), EU enlargement
commissioner Olli Rehn said, according to press reports, that the EU
expects Turkey's parliament to ratify the agreement "without delay
and in good faith".
Ankara must then fully implement the agreement, he added.
But in a TV interview, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
reacted by saying that "there's no need to rush" in ratifying the
agreement.
Mr Erdogan said that the EU should instead first open trade to the
Turkish-occupied northern part of Cyprus, and release its financial
aid package for northern Cyprus which is now being blocked by the
Cypriot government.
An EU financial aid package of 259 million euros to Turkish Cypriots,
which was offered in April 2004 when Greek Cypriots voted down a UN
reunification plan, is still waiting to be released from EU coffers.
The Cypriot government is blocking the release of the package, as it
disagrees with a free trade scheme for Northern Cyprus, which the
Commission proposed later.
Nicosia argues that free trade with the north would mean a de facto
recognition of the Turkish-occupied North.
The Commission's efforts to push Ankara to implement the customs
agreement were dealt a blow last week, as a majority in the European
Parliament suspended the EU's own ratification of the deal, arguing
that there were not enough assurances on Ankara's commitment to the
customs agreement.
Mr Rehn said the parliament's move did "not strengthen our position
in urging Turkey to stick to its commitment."
Human rights record
Now that Turkey has started accession talks with Brussels, further
difficulties are set to arise over what is expected to be a highly
critical report by the commission on human rights, to be released in
November.
Mr Rehn urged Ankara on Thursday to step up political reforms warning
that the EU executive would in its regular progress report, due next
month, point to Turkish human rights shortcomings.
"This means rigorously implementing political reforms in the areas of
the rule of law, human rights, women's rights, the rights of
religious communities and trade unions", Mr Rehn said.
He added that this implied "to make the rule of law an everyday
reality in all walks of life".
The commission in the up-run to accession talks already expressed
serious concern over Ankara's actual implementation of its political
reforms.
Brussels' concern focussed recently on the decision by a Turkish
court to file charges against the author, Orhan Pamuk, who had raised
the issue of the Armenian genocide in 1915.
The Istanbul prosecutor's charges against Mr Pamuk were made despite
a new penal code along EU standards that Ankara was forced to adopt
as a condition to open accession talks.
Mr Rehn in September called the move by the Turkish prosecutor a
"provocation".