Turkish premier raps EU over ‘double standards’

Erdogan says bloc is demanding more from Turkey than previous aspirants

By Paul de Bendern - Reuters

ISTANBUL – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday the European Union was imposing “double standards” in its treatment of Turkey’s membership negotiations.

Turkey started EU accession talks in 2005 but they have been held back by slow progress in reforms, the impact of the unresolved Cyprus dispute and the reluctance of some EU members such as France and Austria to see Turkey join.

“We have observed that they are taking an attitude of double standards and that they want to impose on Turkey things which have not been imposed on any countries which have become members or are in the negotiating process,” Erdogan told a conference.

He reiterated that Turkey was committed to joining the 27-member bloc, despite the perceived bias against its application. Turkey would be the first predominantly Muslim country to join the EU.

Foreign Minister Ali Babacan told the EU on Tuesday the slow pace of Turkey’s accession talks was leading to waning public enthusiasm for membership, but Brussels insisted it was up to Ankara to push harder on reforms.

Turkey has so far opened just six of the 35 chapters of reform work required for accession and is hoping to start a further two – on company and intellectual property laws – as early as next month.

To the annoyance of Ankara and many EU capitals, France wants to restrict negotiations to those chapters which could be used as the basis of any future “privileged partnership” without implying membership.

However EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn has said a further seven chapters were ripe for opening – in areas ranging from food safety to social policy – if Turkey acted to fulfill the technical benchmarks for doing so.

Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) are fighting for survival in court in Turkey.

The Constitutional Court has agreed to take up a case that seeks the closure of the ruling party and the banning of Erdogan from politics for alleged Islamist activities.

Both deny the charges and say they are politically motivated.