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Relations between Turkey and UE Guy Verhofstadt Belgian Prime Minister “a historic role for Turkey” The EU's enlargement process is not a one-way street. Every expansion leads to debates among policymakers and among the citizens of the European Union. It forces us to think about the Union's objectives, its limits and its roots. In this respect, Turkey's application is very significant. After all, the debate on Turkey goes right to the heart of these issues. In this debate some people let themselves be driven by fear. They are afraid about Turkey's borders. (...) Some other people are afraid of Islam. And still others are afraid of seeing economic deterioration in our own country. I am convinced that fear is not only a bad advisor; it is also the wrong advisor. Evidence of this can be seen in previous expansions of the European Union. In Belgium some people were just as reticent about seeing Spain and Portugal join 20 years ago. What happened? The economies of those countries grew enormously. New opportunities were created in terms of doing business and creating jobs. The result is that Spain and Portugal are now countries of immigration, instead of countries of emigration. We should not let ourselves be driven by our emotions, whatever their origin. Some ten years ago, the European Union set out a number of objective criteria -the Copenhagen criteria- to determine when a candidate for EU membership can begin accession negotiations. (...) These criteria were used to assess the candidate countries that joined the EU on 1 May 2004. The European Union must also use these same criteria to assess Turkey's application. I am convinced that Turkey, once it will have fulfilled all of the Copenhagen criteria and will have been reformed in accordance with the principles so dear to us, will be a valuable addition to Europe. Religion is not one of these criteria. That would simply be absurd. Since the age of Enlightenment, more than 200 years ago, the separation of religion and state, as well as tolerance of other faiths, have been fundamental European values. It is no coincidence that these values can be found in the Belgian constitution of 1830. And secularism is also the foundation of the Turkish Republic founded in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. The separation of religion and state is one of the fundamental rules of both the Belgian and Turkish forms of government. Perhaps that is a reason why Turks integrate well in Belgium. (...) In Belgium today there are about 200,000 Belgians of Turkish origin. (...)That does not cause any problems at all. Belgians of Turkish descent are involved in Belgian society, something which is very clear and a valuable addition. It is this separation between religion and state that Belgium expects of all current and future EU Member States - along with respect for the religious beliefs of others, freedom of expression and the right to personal development and absolute equality between men and women. Some people fear that Turkey's AK party would turn Turkey into an Islamist state. The reality looks different. I note that the AK party accepts the separation of religion and state, and I have no reason to think that this will change. Moreover, the experiment that the AK party is pursuing in Turkey is of global significance. We greatly value Turkey's commitment to spread a spirit of renewal to all countries of the Islamic Conference. We were especially impressed with the clear message of Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül, when recently in Tehran he called upon the Islamic countries to carry out a critical self-diagnosis and did not hesitate to offer a vision of good governance, transparency and accountability based on fundamental rights and freedoms, such as equality of men and women. Here a historic role has been set aside for Turkey, not just with regard to its own population, but also with regard to Muslims in the traditional Islam countries and in Europe. I hope that Turkey takes up this role and plays it to its full. The question whether Turkey can join the European Union has already been answered - at the European Council in Helsinki in December 1999, at the European Council in Laeken in December 2001, and at the European Council in Copenhagen in December 2002. The conclusions of the European Council of Copenhagen say that "if the European Council, in December 2004, on the basis of a report and a recommendation from the Commission, decides that Turkey fulfils the Copenhagen political criteria, the European Union will open accession negotiations with Turkey without delay." So, the date of accession is in Turkey's hands. Belgium certainly enjoys good relations with Turkey. And Belgium wants to further reinforce these relations. My country wants to be a partner with your country, on its way to EU membership, on the way to economic development. The key to this is in your hands. But we are quite prepared to make our contribution. Louis Michel “Turkey : The mediator...” It is true that I have always been a fervent supporter of Turkey's membership.
I am convinced that Turkey has its place in the European Union and during the Copenhagen Summit, Belgium pushed for a date for examining in the very near future whether the conditions to open accession negotiations are fulfilled. Therefore in December 2004 the EU will, following the Copenhagen criteria, evaluate if the negotiations can start. I note that Turkey has made continuous efforts to adopt the acquis communautaire since it gained the status of candidate country in 1999. Much progress has been made in terms of protection of minorities, human rights… I have rejected with force the "religious" argument put forward recently to question a Muslim country' place in Europe. First of all, I regard Turkey as a secular and impartial state. Secondly, this argument is irrelevant today, at a time when all agree that a dialogue between civilizations is necessary. Islam is a respectable religion. Only fundamentalist elements of a religion cannot be accepted when they endanger a state's impartiality; however this is valid for
all religions. Turkey can be the country that facilitates the understanding between civilizations and cultures. It can play a mediating role between the West and the Muslim world. Europe must ensure that the separation between state and religion is irreversible and be careful that the Turkish state will maintain its secularism even after the Army had given up its current powers.