Noted with contempt: “Paris set to fight Turkey EU bid”

Excerpted from an article by Vincent Boland, George Parker, Fidelius Schmid, Daniel Dombey, and John Thornhill, published on 13 June 2007 in The Financial Times.

Concluding questions by NWI. Comments and insight are sought.

“France is threatening to block part of Turkey’s membership bid to join the European Union this month, in the first sign President Nicolas Sarkozy is serious about pushing Ankara into an arms-length relationship with Europe.

“Such a blockade would dismay modernisers in Ankara but would be consistent with the new president’s message in Brussels last month: “I do not think Turkey has a place in the European Union.”

“. . . if France carries out its threat, it would be a clear signal it is shifting the direction of Turkey’s membership talks towards a “privileged partnership” with Europe and away from full membership. . . . Paris has few concerns about Turkey upgrading its statistical services and financial controls, since it believes that would help Ankara develop closer ties with Europe. Economic and monetary union implies integration into EU institutions. . . . Ties between the bloc and Ankara are strained and talks were partially suspended last year after Turkey refused to open its ports to ships from EU member Cyprus.

“Background: Turkey’s credentials as a future EU member were first recognised in 1963 but membership is still a long way off. The prominent role of the army in public life, Ankara’s refusal to recognise the Republic of Cyprus and its slow human rights reforms have all harmed its cause. Nicolas Sarkozy’s election in France is a new problem: he says Turkey is not even European because most of the country is in Asia Minor.”

Questions:

1. Might there be a way to push Paris into an “arms-length relationship” with the rest of the world?
2. Might we wonder whether France even deserves a place in the world?
3. Is there any wonder that France will accept the flow of Turkey’s information and money – “statistical services and financial controls” – as a means of selling Ankara its goods and services but defer from a genuine and transparent relationship?
4. Might Europe begin considering the demotion of France into the position of a “privileged partnership”?
5. Might the good and newly elected French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, be so kind as provide his personal checklist of what defines European-ness?
6. Might we also extend our list of racist-ness and encourage him to look for France?
7. What is the economic impact of such bare-knuckled and thuggish declarations?

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- NWI staff

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