Friday

29th Mar 2024

Ankara threatened with partial EU talks freeze

  • The Finnish presidency says a crisis on Turkey is "not inevitable" (Photo: European Commission)

The Finnish EU presidency has said Turkish EU membership negotiations could be partially suspended if Ankara continues to fail to open its ports and airports to Cypriot vessels and planes.

Finnish foreign minister Erkki Tuomioja told reporters on Saturday (2 September) that a "serious situation" would emerge if Turkey remains defiant on blocking traffic from EU member state Cyprus.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Get the EU news that really matters

Instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

The EU last October opened accession negotiations with Turkey, but only after the Turks had signed the so-called Ankara protocol obliging it to extend a customs agreement with Brussels to the bloc's new member states – including Cyprus.

The customs agreement precludes any trade obstacles with EU members.

In the case of continuing non-compliance with the customs agreement by Ankara, "at the minimum it is understandable that we cannot continue membership negotiations on any items pertaining to the [EU's] single market," said Mr Tuomioja.

"But having said this, we still hope to avoid any crisis in our relations. It is not inevitable," he added.

In a statement adopted on 21 September 2005 just before the opening of the membership talks, the EU said that it would "evaluate full implementation" of the Ankara protocol before the end of this year.

The statement stressed that the opening of negotiations on the "relevant" negotiating chapters would depend on Turkey's willingness to open its ports and airports.

Turkey's accession talks are divided into 35 chapters, with some important sections related to the EU's internal market.

Saturday's comments by the Finnish foreign minister suggest that the EU is in any case ready to freeze talks on, for example, trade and competition policy.

Harder Cypriot line

But Cyprus - possibly with the backing of states wary of Turkish membership such as France and Austria - is expected to take a harder line, having already threatened to block the membership negotiations as a whole.

The opening and closing of any of the 35 chapters needs the approval of all 25 members of the EU, providing capitals with a raft of opportunities to block the talks.

Meanwhile the US, which strongly backs Turkish EU accession, is engaged in diplomatic efforts to avert a crisis over the issue.

Washington is proposing that in return for Turkey fulfilling its EU customs obligations, the UN could play a role in supervising free trade to the Turkish-occupied north of Cyprus, which is currently under an international trade embargo.

Ankara is so far making any concessions to Nicosia dependent on moves by the EU to end the economic isolation of northern Cyprus - something Nicosia has so far fiercely rejected as undermining its sovereignty over the whole island.

Ukraine slams grain trade restrictions at EU summit

Restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural exports to the EU could translate into military losses in their bid to stop Russia's war, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warned EU leaders during their summit in Brussels on Thursday.

Difficult talks ahead on financing new EU defence spending

With the war in Ukraine showing no signs of ending any time soon, EU leaders will meet in Brussels on Thursday and Friday (21 and 22 March) to discuss how to boost the defence capabilities of Ukraine and of the bloc itself.

Opinion

Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Rather than assuming a pro-European Labour government in London will automatically open doors in Brussels, the Labour party needs to consider what it may be able to offer to incentivise EU leaders to factor the UK into their defence thinking.

Latest News

  1. Kenyan traders react angrily to proposed EU clothes ban
  2. Lawyer suing Frontex takes aim at 'antagonistic' judges
  3. Orban's Fidesz faces low-polling jitters ahead of EU election
  4. German bank freezes account of Jewish peace group
  5. EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania
  6. 'Swiftly dial back' interest rates, ECB told
  7. Moscow's terror attack, security and Gaza
  8. Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersJoin the Nordic Food Systems Takeover at COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersHow women and men are affected differently by climate policy
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  5. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  6. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?

Join EUobserver

EU news that matters

Join us