AHI Releases Third Update On Turkish Compliance With European Union Accession Conditions

At its December 10-11, 1999 Council meeting in Helsinki, the European Union adopted a framework for the next round of EU enlargement. In accepting Turkey as a candidate for accession, the EU established three pre-conditions to be fulfilled by Turkey before accession negotiations can begin. They are:

1. Resolution of "outstanding border disputes," or failing this, referral "within a reasonable time" to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). This is a reference to Turkey's unilateral territorial claims in the Aegean;
2. EU accession negotiations with Cyprus will continue and a settlement of the Cyprus problem will not be a precondition of Cyprus' accession; and
3. Turkey's candidacy for accession will be subject to the full political and economic criteria established by the 1993 Copenhagen Council for all candidate states. "The Copnhagen Criteria" cover such issues as democratic governance, the rule of law, human rights, protection of minority rights and a functioning market economy able to cope with EU market forces.

These pre-conditions were codified in the Accession Partnership Accord for Turkey issued by the EU on November 8, 2000 and the overall framework was reconfirmed at the December13-14, 2000 EU summit in Nice.

As an aid for policy-makers in the Executive Branch and Congress, AHI has prepared this third overview of Turkey's compliance record based on events taking place during the period of October 1, 2000 - January 31, 2001. Further updates will be issued quarterly.

Releasing the report, AHI Executive Director Nick Larigakis said, "Last year we welcomed the EU's acceptance of Turkey as a candidate for accession with conditions. We hope Turkey will comply with these conditions. Unfortunately, the report illustrates that in the last four months, Turkey has made no serious effort to comply with these conditions. This is especially true with regards to Cyprus, where Turkish and Turkish Cypriot intransigence over the proximity talks has stalled peace efforts. Further, provocative acts such as the kidnapping of Panicos Tsiakourmasdemonstrate a lack of good will on the Turkish Cypriot side toward the search for a settlement."

Full details may be found in the attached AHI Update No. 3. (Click Here)