By IRNA,
London : An all-party group of British MPs Monday called on the EU to continue accession talks with Turkey in good faith.
In a report on Keeping the door wide open: Turkey and EU accession, the parliamentary Business and Enterprise Committee acknowledged difficulties and obstacles, particularly due to severe political and constitutional difficulties in the country this year.
But it warned that support in Turkey for the economic and political reforms necessary to meet the criteria for accession is being damaged by Turkish perceptions that some EU Member States are fundamentally opposed to Turkish membership.
Turkey formal applied to join the EU more than 20 years ago, but it was not officially recognised as a candidate until the end of 1999 and negotiations, which have continually run into obstacles, did not start until 2005.
The report noted that the accession process has moved far slower than with Croatia, which opened at the same time. This, it said, was in part due to the need to reach agreement over Cyprus.
Migration from Turkey will need to be carefully managed, it also said.
“The earliest accession can take place is 2014. Given time these problems can and should be dealt with, but both sides must demonstrate that the will is there,” the MPs warned.
Because of the increasing demands placed upon Turkey becoming the first Muslim nation to join the EU, they said that the country should “not be asked to accept some form of ‘privileged partnership’.” Committee chairman Peter Luff expressed concern about the negative signals from some EU country and was particularly critical of French President Nicholas Sarkozy voicing opposition to Turkey’s membership “Given some EU leaders’ rhetoric about Turkey we are not surprised that public enthusiasm for EU membership in Turkey has rapidly declined,” Luff said.
The report warned that further slowing down negotiations would be a “political disaster.” Whatever its domestic challenges, Turkey has been pursuing reform, it said.
“Whatever the reasons given for any suspension, the belief in Turkey would be likely to be that the country could not join purely because the majority of its population is Muslim. That is not a signal we believe should be given,” it said.
“The EU can afford neither the political nor the economic consequences of a decision by Turkey, however reluctant, to turn its back on Europe,” the committee said.
Luff said the report was “not about whether EU accession for Turkey is possible tomorrow, but about whether accession is possible in future.”
“We believe it should be. Turkish accession offers mutual economic and strategic benefits. Turkey’s economy is developing rapidly, and internal reforms are taking place,” he said.