GUNTER VERHEUGEN Genişlemeden Sorumlu AB Komisyonu Üyesi Member of the European Commission Responsible for Enlargement Prospects for Turkey's Accession to the EU The European Union has set itself the goal of deepening relations with Turkey in the spheres of foreign policy, security and European affairs and bringing Turkey closer to the Union. These issues lie at the heart of this symposium. "The EU and Turkey"conference will show that we are heading in the right direction, that much has already been achieved, but that much remains to be done. It is no accident that Daimler Chrysler "The EU and Turkey" Conference should be taking place in Istanbul. Few cities in the candidate countries reflect so many centuries of shared history and European identity. From Constantinople to Byzantium, from the Topkapi to the Atatürk Bridge, Istanbul's towers, domes and minarets testify to many strata of European civilisation. The city is a book recounting more than 2000 years of shared history and telling us about ourselves. Today Istanbul is a modern metropolis, one of the largest cities in South-East Europe. It occupies a unique position at the interface between Europe and Asia. And it symbolises economic power, vigour and the emergence of a modern society. I was particularly pleased to learn that the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra was for the first time ever performing in Turkey in this year's series of Europe concerts. This too is an important sign. The Europe concert under the patronage of Turkey's President, Dr. SEZER, in the 1500-year-old Hagia Eirene is a reminder of how tightly our cultures are interwoven. Turkey is currently experiencing difficulties. Everyone in the country is suffering severe hardship from the economic and monetary crisis. All sectors of the economy are affected, but especially small businesses. The Turkish government has now tabled a package of practical measures. The European Union welcomes in particular the government's intention to do all in its power to consolidate the budget and carry out far-reaching reforms to restructure the financial sector. We hope that these changes will mark a turning point, bringing the situation under control and easing the pressure. If properly implemented, the reforms could, we feel, provide further impetus for bringing Turkey closer to the Union, some of them being economic reforms identified as priorities in the Union's accession partnership with Turkey. The European Union has therefore encouraged the Turkish government to carry out this reform programme in cooperation with the international financial institutions and pledged its support. It takes the view that Turkey's efforts to restore stability demand furtheroutside support via the IMF and World Bank. In this connection, the Union has granted Turkey EURO150 million in structural adjustment aid from its 2000 budget to help it carry out the necessary economic and structural reforms. Financial cooperation this year will see the Union provide a special programme to help Turkey's small- and medium-sized enterprises become more competitive. The enlargement of the European Union is an epochmaking project. Its significance for the future of Europe cannot be overstated. Ultimately, the aim isto guarantee lasting peace, security and stability in Europe and create conditions in which Europe can maintain its economic performance and stay competitive in a globalisedeconomy. The enlargement process currently involves 13 candidate countries. The Helsinki European Council decided to include Turkey in the process on an equal footing. That Turkey should be treated like any other candidate country is therefore a basic tenet of the pre-accession strategy. I know that there are recurrent doubts here in Turkey about the Union's commitment to its offer. The fact that the institutional provisions of the Treaty of Nice mention only those candidate countries with which negotiations have already started has caused annoyance in Turkey. And though the new Treaty was amended to take account of its objections , Turkey is still not wholly satisfied with the results of Nice. I would, however, like to emphasise once again that Turkey's status as a candidate for accession to the European Union is not at issue. Quite the contrary, relations between the Union and Turkey have moved up a gear since Helsinki. To cite just one of many examples, the Swedish presidency invited Turkey with theother candidate countries to take part in the recent informal meetings of ministers for economic affairs and finance in Malmö and May's meeting of foreign ministers in Nykoping. The European Commission sees Turkey as a major political and economic partner. It is in the Union's interests to have Turkey as a stable and reliable partner. This is the undisputed political goal. And it is perfectly attainable, if Turkey's newly introduced process of comprehensive political and economic reform succeeds. This is not the Union's first enlargement. It has over the years grown from six to fifteen members. Past experience shows that the prospect of accession greatly speeds up reform. Everything suggests that Turkey is on the verge of far-reaching reforms. The Commission is ready to maintain a steady flow of assistance to Turkey as it prepares for integration into the European Union. Over the past year relations between the European Union and Turkey have begun to reflect the Helsinki European Council's decision to include Turkey in the enlargementprocess on an equal footing with other candidates. I would like to bring you up to date on how relations between the Union and Turkey have progressed over the past year. As you will see, the results are encouraging, even if we have a lot of work ahead of us. Cooperation between the Union and Turkey on the way to membership is framed by theaccession partnership and Turkey's national pre-accession programme. The accession partnership with Turkey was formally approved by the Member States of the European Union in March 2001. It sets out the short- and medium-term political, economic and legislative priorities that Turkey must pursue to satisfy the Copenhagen criteria. On that basis, Turkey last month presented its national programme for the alignment of its legislation on the Union's. These two documents - the accession partnership and the national programme - set the course for the further development of relations between Turkey and the Union. Their implementation will set the pace for the pre-accession process. All this has been the object of a lively debate in Turkey. The Commission welcomed the presentation of the national programme, which marks a significant step forward. This programme may well be the start of a farreaching transformation in Turkey. It describes for the first time the comprehensive reforms that Turkey wants and needs tocarry out in preparation for any accession. All this programme's parts are of equal importance. Political reforms are nevertheless a sticking point for the Commission and the Member States. The Copenhagen political criteria - viable democratic institutions, full application of the rule of law, comprehensive protection for human rights and minorities - have to be met before the accession negotiations proper can start. The national programme takes up the issues broached in the accession partnership and tables legislative proposals in many areas, often with a timetable. I cannot, however, gloss over the fact that more far-reaching steps are needed in some areas, e.g. abolishing the death penalty and guaranteeing the cultural rights of all citizens. I would at this point like to address a specific, topical issue. There is in the European Union - as indeed in Turkey itself - growing public concern and distress at the hungerstrikes that have now been under way for months in Turkey's prisons. There have already been many deaths. A solution is urgently needed to prevent further loss of life. I will cite a few more key achievements of the pre-accession strategy over the pastyear: Political dialogue at various levels has been stepped up since Helsinki. In this forum we will be raising such issues as human rights, Cyprus and Turkey's relations with its neighbours. Preparations for the screening process, which involves comparing Turkish and European law, are well under way. By the summer most of the eight subcommittees handling this task under the current association agreement will have met at least twice. This isa key step in preparing for accession negotiations. Community programmes will be opened up to Turkey. This means, for example, that Turkey will be eligible to take part in the Community's exchange programmes for university students, teachers and researchers. Last summer saw the start of negotiations for an agreement on services and public procurement. Such an agreement would be a logical development of the current customs union. Financial assistance to Turkey has doubled over the past year, rising to more than EURO180 million. This aid will in future be targeted exclusively on preparing for accession. Furthermore, the European Investment Bank has approved a EURO450 million loan package to support the further development of the customs union. Turkey will also be given access to the EIB's pre-accession facility. In the medium term we are planning to develop financial cooperation with Turkey even further. Our short-term priority, however, is to use existing resources and programmes to maximum effect. In other words, we first have to press on with the implementationof current projects in Turkey. I have already mentioned that using the political dialogue to raise any issue demanding further discussion in the interests of good relations is fundamental to our close cooperation. Cyprus is one such issue. I have been worried by developments in recent months,which seem to suggest a hardening of attitudes rather than a pragmatic quest for a lasting solution. The Commission is doing all it can to back the UN Secretary-General's efforts to settle the conflict. We are working together closely and in a climate of trust. I would urge all parties towork towards a solution. Time is increasingly a factor. We need a comprehensive and viable solution enabling everyone on the island to live together peacefully. Talks and negotiations are the only option. There is no alternative. We are united in the goal of bringing Turkey closer to the European Union. It is in our strategic interest to see Turkey firmly and durably anchored in the Union's communityof values. We want a modern Turkey, where democracy, the rule of law and human rights prevail, where minorities are protected and respected. The process begun in Helsinki has stirred political debate within Turkey. Experience shows that political movements cannot be measured in their early days. What we can,however, discern is the beginning of discussions and the direction in which they are heading. And we can also discern a society's long-term aspirations. The success of the Helsinki process will, however, be measured in terms of real change rather than abstract programmes. It is a matter of consolidating lasting democratic political structures and making real reform irreversible. The pace of this reform processis a matter for Turkey itself to decide. The momentum built up since Helsinki must now be used to achieve practical results wherever Turkey has not yet met the political criteria for accession to the EU. GUNTER VERHEUGEN: "TÜRKİYE'NİN AB'YE GİRME OLASILIKLARI" AB Türkiye ile olan ilişkilerini derinleştirerek, Türkiye'yi AB'ye yaklaştırmayı hedeflemektedir. Daimler Chrysler'in "AB ve Türkiye" adlı konferansının İstanbul'da yapılması rastlantı değildir. Yüzyıllar boyunca Avrupa tarihini ve kimliğini paylaşmış ender şehirlerden biri olan İstanbul günümüzde, Avrupa ile Asya arasındaki benzersiz konumuyla, çağdaş bir toplumun ekonomik bir güç olarak belirmesini simgeleyen modern bir metropoldür. Türkiye şimdi tüm sektörlerini etkileyen ekonomik bir kriz yaşamaktadır. Türk Hükümeti pratik çözümler içeren bir paketi gündemine almış bulunmaktadır. Doğru uygulanmaları halinde bu reformların Türkiye'yi AB'ye yaklaştırabileceği inancını taşımaktayız. Konsey Helsinki'de Türkiye'yi genişleme işlemine dahil etmeyi kararlaştırmıştı. Oysa Türkiye'de zaman zaman AB'nin bu karara bağlılığı konusunda kuşkular uyandığınıbiliyorum. Ancak bir kez daha vurgulamak isterim ki, Türkiye'nin AB'ye üye adaylığı statüsü konusunda hiç bir şüpheye yer yoktur. AB ile Türkiye arasındaki işbirliği, Katılım Ortaklığı Belgesi ve Türkiye'nin katılım öncesi Ulusal Programı tarafından düzenlenmektedir. Ancak, bazı konularda daha somut ve kapsamlı adımlar atılmasının gerekliliğini birkez daha vurgulamak istiyorum.