INTERVIEW: Verheugen: EU backtracking on Turkey is "pure populism"

Feb 3, 2010, 10:16 GMT

Brussels - French and German attempts to offer Turkey anything less than full European Union membership are 'pure populism' and dangerous for the whole bloc, the EU's former enlargement commissioner, Guenter Verheugen, said Wednesday.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have both stated repeatedly that they do not want Turkey to join the EU, even though it has been involved in accession talks since 2005.

'This attitude is pure populism, and it is dangerous, because just the opposite is demanded of statesmen and -women,' Verheugen told the German Press Agency dpa in an exclusive interview.

'Turkey is more important for the EU than the EU is for Turkey. The Turks have alternatives, they don't necessarily need the EU, but we need Turkey: it's our bridge to the Islamic world,' Verheugen said.

Verheugen was in charge of EU enlargement from 1999 to 2004, and successfully spearheaded the entry into the bloc of 10 new states reaching from Estonia to Cyprus and Malta. Since 2004, he has been the EU's industry commissioner, with his mandate ending Wednesday.

In 2005, Turkey began accession negotiations with the EU. But since then, Merkel and Sarkozy have publicly called into question whether the EU's Muslim neighbour should be allowed to join the bloc, proposing a 'privileged partnership' instead.

That proposal is 'fake packaging,' because Turkey already has a privileged relationship with the EU, Verheugen said.

'Mrs Merkel and Mr Sarkozy regularly duck the question of what more they want to give Turkey short of membership. Turkey already has a customs union with the EU, it's already associated with it - there is no more privileged partner state than Turkey,' Verheugen said.

European politicians in recent years have accused Turkey of slowing the reforms which would be necessary to qualify for EU membership.

But Verheugen rejected those accusations, laying the blame for the slow-down at Europe's door.

'How should a Turkish government convince society that they should carry out a fundamental change in their entire way of life when it hears from all kinds of European capitals: do what you like, you're not Christian and you belong to a different cultural sphere?' Verheugen asked.

'That is a very dangerous and short-sighted way of thinking,' he said.

However, the main stumbling-block on Turkey's EU path at present is its conflict with EU member Cyprus over the Turkish occupation of the northern part of the island.

As part of that dispute, Turkey has refused to extend its long-standing customs union with the EU to Cyprus, arguing that the EU has not extended it to the north of the island.

But in response, the EU in 2006 froze accession negotiations on eight issues - known as 'chapters' - relating to Turkey's laws on trade, customs and the free movement of goods.

The EU has repeatedly said that it will only re-open those talks once Turkey opens its ships and airports to Greek Cypriot vessels.

Peace talks on the island took on a new urgency on Monday as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived to push for a deal. Diplomats fear that elections in the north of the island in April could lead to the election of hardline forces, jeopardizing talks.

But without progress on Cyprus, Turkey is unlikely ever to become an EU member, Verheugen said.

'I think that the blockage on accession chapters can only be ended when there is a new and, this time, successful Cyprus (peace) initiative. It was always clear that Turkey will not be able to become a member as long as the Cyprus question remains open,' he said.