Main focus of Thursday, November 16, 2006

Dissonance in the Turkish March

The recent publication of a report in which the European Commission criticises the slow pace of reforms undertaken by Turkey to enter the EU is feeding the debate in the European press on the country's accession.

NRC Handelsblad - Netherlands

"The eventuality of European accession for Turkey may still seem remote, but the cultural links with this country can already be better strengthened", explains the daily. "The Turkish city of Istanbul has officially been proclaimed Cultural Capital of Europe for the year 2010. This decision was confirmed at a meeting of European Ministers of Culture. As well as Istanbul, Essen (Germany) and Pécs (Hungary) will also be European cultural capitals in 2010. Does this indicate that Turkey may become a member of the EU by then? No. On the contrary, negotiations with the Turks are slipping for the time being. But the rules have been stretched for some time now for the nomination of cultural capitals. And places situated outside of Europe can also find themselves being given this title." (14/11/2006)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU enlargement, » Architecture / Cities, » Turkey

Lidové noviny - Czech Republic

Bob Fiedler says the Pope's upcoming visit to Turkey [November 28th] will put the country's readiness for EU membership to the test. He points out that this is not just a country that wants to join the EU but also the country "that produced the man who last attempted to kill a pope and where a book with the subtitle 'Who's going to kill the Pope in Istanbul?' has been selling well since its release in May. Fiedler criticised the fact that only one state representative, Turkish President Ahmet Nectet Sezer, is scheduled to meet the Pope. "The official version is that Prime Minister Recept Tayyip Erdogan will not be able to meet the Pope because he's attending the NATO summit in Riga. The unofficial version is that it's because he 'has a problem with the Pope'- Erdogan was among those who was fiercely critical of the Pope's speech in Regensburg. Moreover, he probably thinks that a meeting with the Pope would hurt his chances of winning the elections next year. This raises the question of whether a country whose leader is deeply offended by an academic speech or who abhors the idea of shaking hands with the Pope can be considered to belong to Europe." (16/11/2006)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU enlargement, » Religion, » Weltanschauung, » Turkey
All available articles from » Bob Fiedler

Kathimerini - Greece

The Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdullah Gül, declared on Wednesday, November 15th, that his country will not give in to the EU's 'blackmail' concerning Cyprus. Georgios Delastic reacts to these statements by accusing Turkey of wanting to 'benefit from an a la carte accession that would only serve its own interests! So Gül says he is adamant and refuses to succumb to European blackmail. One may well wonder if it is not Ankara that is blackmailing with such declarations, while Turkey is still not capable of respecting European criteria. It is a classic case of a snake biting its tail. Once again the Turks are proving to be of ill-faith. They are announcing right now that the tune will change once the country enters the EU. Granted, some do consider this positive, but we risk moving towards an individualistic European dialogue. And if the vote on the European budget was already a test of strength for leaders, what will it be like with Turkey?" (16/11/2006)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU enlargement, » Domestic Policy, » Turkey
All available articles from » Giorgios Delastic

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