EU/TURKEY: The European Commission will strongly criticise Turkey next week for failing to implement key political reforms and not opening its ports to Cypriot vessels.
But it will not recommend the suspension of Turkey's EU accession talks ahead of a December summit when European leaders are scheduled to consider Ankara's progress on meeting the EU's entry criteria.
A monitoring report due to be published next Wednesday by enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn will focus particular attention on Ankara's failure to amend legislation that has led to the prosecution of prominent writers and journalists for insulting "Turkishness". It will also express concern over shortcomings in civilian control of the military, ongoing cases of state torture and Turkey's failure to implement the Ankara Protocol, a customs deal signed last year under which it agreed to lift a blockade against Cypriot vessels from entering Turkey.
An EU source with knowledge of the report said yesterday the monitoring report would mention the Ankara Protocol but would leave room for a breakthrough in talks on this issue ahead of the December summit.
Finland, the current holder of the EU's six-month rotating presidency, is planning to host talks this Sunday and Monday with foreign ministers from Cyprus and the Turkish protectorate of northern Cyprus. The talks are aimed at negotiating a deal that would see Turkey lift its embargo against Cypriot vessels and Cyprus allow Turkish Cyprus to export goods directly to the EU from a port in Greek Cyprus.
The draft deal, which is still being worked on by Finnish officials, also involves rebuilding the abandoned port of Varosha and placing it under UN administration.
Most diplomats believe EU leaders would recommend the suspension of Turkey's accession talks if it fails to comply with the Ankara protocol by December. Greece and Cyprus are currently stalling the talks by using their national veto at meetings of member state experts in Brussels. Analysts say existing sceptics on Turkish accession, such as Germany and France, may use the Ankara protocol as a pretext for forcing the suspension of the talks, which began a year ago.
The criticism in the commission report on the slow pace of political reform is also likely to increase pressure on Ankara. Extracts from the draft report published in the Financial Times Deutschland yesterday show the strongest criticism focuses on laws restricting freedom of expression.