The EU Membership Question: Now Should be Turkey’s Time

The recent Istanbul summit of NATO states underscored a dichotomy in host Turkey's relations with the West. A Muslim nation with a secular political tradition, Turkey, on the one hand, is a highly valued asset for NATO. Ankara is set to play a key role in the alliance's efforts to contain Islamic radicalism and promote stability in Iraq and Afghanistan. On the other hand, the European Union's attitude on the question of Turkish accession can be characterized as tepid.

Given the challenges posed by the growth of Islamic radicalism in the Middle East and Central Asia, now should be Turkey's time to shine. Turkey is positioned like no other European state to promote stability and gradual political change in the Islamic world. Instead of seizing the opportunity, however, the EU has left Ankara dangling. This has the potential to cause a crisis of confidence among Turks if their concerns and desires are not addressed soon.

Turkey is a troubling country for the European Union. It is very poor, and yet its large population – among current EU members only Germany has a larger population -- would give it considerable weight within an expanded EU. Its record on human rights is less than perfect, and the military still casts a shadow over political life. Perhaps most significantly, Turkey is predominantly Muslim, in contrast to current member states, which are primarily Christian.

However, this is precisely the characteristic that would make Turkey a valuable EU member. As a Muslim state, Turkey can engage Middle Eastern countries in a way that current EU members would be hard-pressed to accomplish. Turkish EU membership could help establish that a fusion of Islamic and democratic principles can produce prosperity and stability. Such an example would not only aid relations with other Muslim countries, but also help the EU address issues relating to Europe's own large Muslim population.

As if to highlight its position, Turkey hosted two meetings in June: the NATO summit, and the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers. Turkey is the only country that is a member of both groups. Moreover, a Turk was elected secretary general of the latter organization this year.

The Turks have made clear that EU membership is a foremost foreign policy goal. Successive Turkish governments have instituted reforms geared specifically toward meeting EU membership criteria. Most recently, the government released from jail four prominent Kurdish politicians, and the state-run news aired its first-ever broadcast in Kurdish, all without interference from the previously interventionist military. In Freedom House's annual survey of political rights and civil liberties, Turkey has shown marked improvement since it was accepted as an official EU candidate in 1999.

Since Turkey was accepted as a candidate, the EU has delayed setting a date to start actual accession negotiations. In recent months, some EU members, France in particular, have sent Turkey discouraging signals about its membership prospects. In comments made April 8 in the French parliament, French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier opposed the idea of Turkey's entry into the EU in the near term, saying Ankara did not meet membership criteria. Such statements help create the impression that some EU members are searching for excuses to exclude Turkey.

Prior to the start of the NATO summit in Istanbul, US President George W. Bush urged the EU to quickly accept Turkey as a new member. Bush's call drew immediate criticism from French President Jacques Chirac, who said the United States had no right to meddle in the EU's internal decision-making process.

The EU is due to decide on setting a date for Turkish accession talks by December. If it fails to indicate when negotiations will start, the EU risks seeing a reversal of the recent momentum for reform in Turkey, and jeopardizes an important opportunity. Rather than keeping Turkey at arm's length, the EU needs to engage Ankara in a meaningful process with clear and definitive benchmarks that lead manifestly to membership. This would solidify Turkey's place in the Western community and simultaneously signal an acceptance of, and attention to, the Islamic world.

At the same time, the EU should not make an exception if Turkey has not fulfilled all membership criteria. The Turkish government must implement the reforms required for entry: the Kurdish minority needs full rights; torture must not be tolerated; and the special status of the military in political affairs needs to end definitively.

The EU has a proven history of fostering democratic institutions in countries that are emerging from undemocratic pasts. Such a strategy could be even more effective in the case of Turkey, which, unlike the former communist states, has wavered for many years between military-dominated authoritarianism and democratic reform. The positive steps made by the current government in Ankara are driven in large measure by its desire to meet EU membership standards. As soon as Turkey has shown itself capable of implementing the necessary reforms, the EU should quickly set a date for the opening of accession talks.