Europe’s Turkey report is balanced and constructive

The Iraq issue has invaded our daily life to such extent that we weren’t able to attach sufficient importance to the European Union Commission’s Progress Report. Yet this was the first balanced and constructive EU report with a pro-Turkey attitude. The negative points mentioned in this report only echo the criticisms voiced by several institutions and reported by the media within the country itself.

In other words, there’s nothing negative that we haven’t heard before. The only novelty exists in the confirmation of the EU Commission’s belief that the negotiations must target full-membership for Turkey. The report also points out to member countries that this point should no longer be open to argument.

I was so involved in the PKK crisis, the operation in northern Iraq and finally the Erdoğan-Bush meeting that I had no time to write about the EU Commission’s Progress Report on the course of the EU’s relations with Turkey. If the otherwise full agenda was one reason for this neglect, the other one was the fact that the report had brought no bad news. There are two ways to interpret the contents of this report. If you’re against the EU, the glass is half-empty, and if you’re not, it’s half full. The empty half of the glass criticizes Turkey for its long-lasting inactivity in passing the required reforms, for its failure to balance military-civil relations, and its neglect in abolishing article 301, characterizing the continuing validity of this article as unacceptable.

It also objects to the continuing limits placed on minority rights, Kurdish as mother tongue, the Heybeliada Religious School, the minority foundations, the arguments on ecumenism and opening the ports to Greek Cypriots. You could see how the commission criticizes Turkey for these reasons and conclude, “The relations are getting worse- the EU Commission has issued a grave warning to Turkey.”

The full side of the glass, however, says that Turkey has marked some crucial progress in passing reforms -in spite of the recent inactivity- and that it has been very successful in the management of its economy.

The report also recognizes the PKK as a bloodthirsty terror organization, and most importantly, states that the EU-Turkey relations definitely target full membership and that member countries should now stop questioning Turkey’s place in Europe. You could see how the commission praises Turkey for all that and say, “Turkey advances on the road to Europe despite everything. The process has not been suspended and the train is still on course, even if the ‘road’ is bumpy.”

You can evaluate the report according to your own view of the glass. It’s your choice… I’ve been reading these reports since the first day. When I compare this report to the previous ones, I reach the following conclusions: - - This report was worded very carefully. The degree of the criticisms and the words used to express them were determined with extreme care. Turkey’s sensitive points were treated with a lot more consideration in comparison to the former years. All exaggeration or severity was avoided. The report is a clear evidence of Olli Rehn’s moderate approach.

- All criticism was kept at mild level, and furthermore, there is nothing negative in the report that the Turkish media, political parties and the NGO’s hadn’t pointed out before. The report’s criticisms are the same as ours.

- It Is it false that the military voice their opinions in politics? Didn’t they meddle in the presidential elections? Isn’t that infamous article 391, which we also qualify as a disgrace, still in place? Don’t we keep suspending intellectual freedom issues like the right to speak Kurdish, minority rights and religious schools? - - I think what is most important and positive about this report is the way: that it confirms Turkey’s full membership as being the main objective of the negotiations; that it clearly underlines the necessity of refraining from questioning Turkey’s place in Europe from now on; and most importantly, that it qualifies the PKK as a terror organization. The report is also worth attention in the way that it condones Turkey’s need to intervene in northern Iraq in order to fight the PKK.

- In short, regardless of the claim of some rigid patriots that the EU wants to divide Turkey, this Progress Report should be considered as positive under current conditions.

What the Progress Report represents

The European Union Commission issues a report every year around the same dates. It’s called the Progress Report. It examines and criticizes the political, social and economic performance of the candidate countries as to their compliance with the Copenhagen Criteria during their full-membership talks. Trying to act like a neutral observer, the EU Commission gathers the required information for the report from various sources.

The main source is the very country under examination ; the news reported by its media ; official announcements and declarations or interviews made by/with its leaders or other authorities; judicial decisions; and statements made by its various associations and NGO’s. Another source is made up of the reports and evaluations of the EU Commission’s office, as well as the embassies of the member countries in Ankara. In other words, there is no secretly obtained information.

In addition, great care is taken to verify the truth and the correctness of any information that goes into the report. The official contradiction of any part of the reports is the nightmare of the people who prepare them.

Evaluations may contain some exaggeration, but the exclusive use of sound data is the main principle. A team in Brussels collects all the available information and prepares a first draft. Then the report goes before the commission members for political retouching. They determine the parts and criticisms to be underlined or hardened or strengthened before the report is issued.