THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION’S TURKEY 2010 PROGRESS REPORTAn Assessment by AHI Foundation Chair of Fellows Dr. Van CoufoudakisPREFACETurkey has applied to become a member state of the European Union (EU). The EU has determined a set of criteria which Turkey must satisfy and which Turkey has agreed to satisfy to become a member state. Each year the European Commission, which is the executive organ of the EU, must report to the Council of the EU and the European Parliament, which are the legislative organs of the EU, as to the progress that Turkey has made in satisfying the criteria. The 2010 Reports covers on the period from October 2009 through October 2010 and contains the following issues:
FINDINGSOn November 9, 2010, the European Commission issued a 104-page progress report on Turkey’s EU accession process. The report was directed to the EU’s Council of Ministers and to the European Parliament. Some of the report’s key findings include the following:
The issue of Cyprus is reviewed under Turkey’s conduct in regard to regional issues and Turkey’s international obligations. The report concludes that:
In the case of Greek-Turkish relations the report notes that despite efforts to improve bilateral relations, a considerable number of formal complaints were made by Greece over continued violations by Turkey of the Greek airspace and territorial waters. On matters of EU’s common foreign and security policy, of particular interest to Greece and Cyprus, the report notes that Turkey’s policy on Iran does not align with that of the EU and the UN; that the protocol to normalize relations with Armenia has not yet been ratified or implemented; and that relations with Israel have significantly deteriorated since the Gaza flotilla incident earlier this year. Similarly unresolved remain issues relating to the ties of the EU with NATO. CONCLUSIONThe American Hellenic Institute (AHI) agrees with the findings in the 2010 EU Report on Turkey, especially that:
Essentially, according to this report, Turkey has failed to fulfill its obligations under the EU Declaration of September, 21 2005 and the Council’s conclusions of December 2006 and 2009. It is now up to the Council to make the final finding on Turkey’s EU progress next month. The Report comments that “In the Cyprus v. Turkey [ECHR] case, the issue of missing persons and restrictions on the property rights of Greek Cypriots living permanently in the northern part of Cyprus remains pending. However, the Report fails to even mention that Turkey was found to be and remains in violation of the Convention on the Protection of Human Rights of the Council of Europe and those judgments rendered by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), the court of the Council of Europe, which were not affected by the case of Demopoulos and Others v. Turkey. Each EU Member State and each prospective applicant nation which is also a member of the Council of Europe, like Turkey, must comply with the judgments that the ECHR has rendered. We also concur with Enlargement Commissioner’s Stephan Fule assessment of November 9, 2010 on “how important it is, how indeed urgent it is, that Turkey now implements the Additional Protocol to the Ankara Agreement,” if further progress is to be made in opening new chapters in Turkey’s accession talks. In cold technocratic language, this most recent report by the European Commission affirms what the American Hellenic Institute has argued for many years on issues relating to Cyprus, Greek-Turkish relations and the fate of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Turkey, as an applicant for EU accession, is the country that has to conform to European standards. Turkey’s continuing violations of international and European law, of the European Convention on Human Rights, and of its own commitments to the EU stand on its way to EU accession. The ball, now, is literally in Turkey’s court.
|
Search our Site:
AHI News Flash:01-21-09 AHI Executive Director Interview with the Greek News Letters to the Editor:08-07-09 AHI Letter to the Editor of the Washington Post 08-06-08 The Washington Times Prints AHI Letter Regarding Cyprus |
|
THE AMERICAN HELLENIC Institute (AHI), was founded on August 1, 1974, following Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus with the illegal use of American-supplied arms in violation of U.S. laws and agreements. The AHI initiated the rule of law issue in the Congress in the interests of the U.S., thus changing the face of American politics. <<<Continue>>> © 2006 American Hellenic Institute |