EU’s eastward expansion at last

Columnist Ansar Mahmood Bhatti looks at Europe’s renewed interest in Asia.

Much talked-about European Union’s summit has ended in Denmark’s Capital Copenhagen without any upsets. Cyprus, along with other states, has formally been invited to join the Union while Turkey has not been given an early date for the start of accession negotiations. So, everything went as per the pre-planned schedule at Copenhagen.
When the EU Heads of State or Government met in Copenhagen in 1993 to discuss the Community’s enlargement eastward, few would have imagined that nine years later a summit would be held in the same city, where the plans for enlargement would materialize. Nonetheless, the enlargement with up to ten candidate countries provides the setting for the European Council meeting. Europe has changed during the nine intervening years, yet the surroundings for the Summit remain more or less the same. The Summit took place ‘as in 1993’ at the Bella Centre, a conference centre situated just outside Copenhagen.
Instead of Heads of State and Government from just 12 Member States in 1993, the Summit was attended by delegations from 15 EU Member States, reflecting the Union’s last enlargement in 1995 when Sweden, Finland and Austria acceded. In addition, the Member States were accompanied by delegations from the Commission, the Council, the European Parliament as well as 13 candidate countries.
The European Union in Copenhagen in 1993 launched an ambitious process to overcome the legacy of conflict and division in Europe. The process seems to have completed with the conclusion of accession negotiations with Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia. The Union now looks forward to welcoming these states as members from 1 May 2004.
EU’s bid to beguile Turkey by setting 2004 date for accession talks, seems to have failed in appeasing Turkey. Instant reaction from the Turkish government and people alike, will certainly force the Commission to have second thought in this regard. The European Council recalled its decision in 1999 in Helsinki that Turkey is a candidate state destined to join the Union on the basis of the same criteria as applied to the other candidate states. It had welcomed the important steps taken by Turkey towards meeting the Copenhagen criteria, in particular through the recent legislative packages and the subsequent implementation measures, which cover a large number of key priorities specified in the accession partnership. The Union acknowledged the determination of the new Turkish government to address swiftly all remaining shortcomings in the field of the political criteria, not only with regard to legislation but also in particular with regard to implementation. The Union also encouraged Turkey to pursue its reform process. If the European Council in December 2004, on the basis of a report and a recommendation from the Commission, decided that Turkey fulfilled the Copenhagen political criteria, accession talks will be opened without any delay.
Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul, on the other hand, has pledged, Turkey would pass all the European Union harmonization laws necessary for its membership bid by the end of next year, just as EU is set to publish a progress report on Turkey. Despite Turkish Prime Minister’s categorical assertion, it is unlikely that the European Union will open talks with Turkey in 2003. There is no denying the fact that the United States had been pleading the Turkish case with utmost interest but the EU with the rightful stand turned down her initiatives saying that Turkey’s EU membership was purely a European matter and therefore US had nothing to do with that. Thus the Americans were left in the lurch and their strategic ally in abysmal despair. As it goes; Americans friendship and animosity, both are equally injurious.
The European Union has maintained its stand on the Cyprus issue and the announcement made at the Copenhagen Summit was continuation of EU Helsinki Summit back in 1999. Cyprus has formally been invited to join the Union in 2004 along with other states. The European Council, however, confirmed its strong preference for accession to the European Union by a united Cyprus. In this context, it welcomed the commitment of the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots to continue to negotiate with the objective of concluding comprehensive proposals. Both Greek and Turkish Cyprus sides have been given February 28, 2003 deadline for the final solution of the issue for which UN has already presented a detailed revised document.
The Turkish and Greek sides had raised many objections on the previous version of the document with regard to territories etc. Pressure, however, remains on the Turkish Cypriots and Turkey for an amicable solution since the other side has already been assured EU membership even without a settlement. The Turkish government has nevertheless rejected altogether Council conclusions on Cyprus membership and observed that the decision would cause imbalance between Turkish and Greece relations. TRNC President Mr. Denktash in his reaction said, ‘for the whole of Cyprus to be an EU member, the North part of the island should also be accepted?’
The Council also recognized progress achieved by Romania and Bulgaria towards their accession to the Union. Both countries are expected to be admitted by the year 2007. Romania has continued to make progress towards being a functioning market economy, for which the prospects have improved, mainly for reaching macro-economic stability. Further progress, however, has to be made in the privatization sector and in the area of budgetary discipline. One of the main concerns of course remains the arrears of the state-owned companies. On the other hand, the European Commission has proposed a gradual but substantial increase in financial aid for accession for Romania, starting with 2004. This increase of funds will be coordinated under the road map that will include a detailed list of priorities and objectives.
Prof Dr Emil Ghitulescu, the Romanian Ambassador in Islamabad, in an exclusive interview with this scribe few days ago expressed optimism that his country would definitely join the Union by 2007. He said, ‘Romania sees the European Union as the most complex structure of the European system and as the genuine hardcore of Europe’s future architecture. It is, therefore, natural that full and rapid integration into the EU has become Romania’s fundamental strategic goal, totally corresponding to the national interest, the strengthening of democracy, and the implementation of economic reforms and the development of market economy. Hence, it is irreversible option that corresponds to all political forces in the country? The Copenhagen Summit also expressed concern over the ongoing Middle East crisis. European Union, unfortunately, has hitherto been unable to exert its influence on both sides for ME solution. It has been issuing virulent statements but nothing concrete has ever been done such as trade and economic blockage of Israel, severing of ties etc. The Middle East situation has reached a point where something practical and tangible is needed. Mere lip service won’t serve any purpose.
In a nutshell, the EU Copenhagen Summit was a landmark summit in the sense that it finally admitted ten new countries thus taking the total number to 25 from 15. It’s indeed a unique and historic moment in the history of Europe and we can cautiously predict that a United States of Europe is very much in the making.