New EU president to play key role in Turkey bid

As the European Union embarks on a new, more streamlined era, officials say no change is expected on the bloc’s enlargement policies but its new president will have a major role to play in expanding Europe’s borders to include Turkey.

The EU is set to decide Thursday in Brussels who will be the new president to chair the future summits and represent the bloc on the international stage. That comes after the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty by the Czech Republic.

“From a formal point of view, neither the new post of president nor the Lisbon Treaty will change anything as far as enlargement is concerned because the requirements for candidate countries to get in and also the rules for the EU to admit are still the same,” Pierpaolo Settembri, administrator in the Council of EU, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review in a telephone interview.

The official, speaking in his personal capacity, however, highlighted that whether or not the new president will be important depends on the personality to be selected.

“If [the new chief] has a visible personality that has an active role in the international scene and is recognized as an influential partner, then I think everything will be affected by this new post, including the enlargement process,” said Settembri.

Ankara is content

Turkish diplomats, contacted by the Daily News, expressed contentment over the “lifting of the blockade over enlargement” with the approval of the Lisbon Treaty, which dispersed the clouds over the digestion capacity of the EU and opened the way for further reforms. The diplomats also suggested the establishment of a mechanism that would make the EU a direct political interlocutor and would accelerate the decision-making process inside the bloc, which they noted would be another positive development.

“The Lisbon Treaty will have a major impact on all external actions of the EU, including enlargement,” Thomas Grunert, head of the unit in the European Parliament responsible for enlargement and European economic area, told the Daily News by phone.

He similarly admitted the personal influence of the new president in setting future policies would be out of the question despite the fact that the selected figure was obliged to distance him or herself from national policies under the European mandate.

“If the new president is a person who has a positive attitude toward further enlargement of the EU and has an open-minded attitude toward Turkey, that will of course have an impact,” said Grunert.

However, given the presence of anti-Turkey sentiments, firm opposition to Turkey’s EU aspirations in some member states and the likelihood of a president coming from such a country could be a source of fear for Ankara.

“I can hardly imagine on top of the EU a person that is against enlargement. I think among the credentials this person will have to have must be certain European commitment,” Settembri said.

“I don’t mean that he has to be pro-enlargement but it is part of the EU’s dynamics. Therefore I think this person will not be someone who in principle objects to enlargement but that does not mean this person will neglect the challenges that exist,” he said.

EU strategy needed

Bahadır Kaleağası, international coordinator of the Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association, or TÜSİAD, said the EU’s reaching a political unity would be in the interest of each and every candidate country but warned, “Turkey will now desperately need a full-fledged accession strategy as the political identity of the bloc is getting stronger.”

At present, the EU Council is chaired by the head of state or government of the member state holding the term presidency for a six-month period. Under the Lisbon Treaty, the EU will have a president to be elected for two-and-a-half years who will replace the term president. Most observers say the new post represents a transfer of political power to the EU to turn it into the United States of Europe.

“But of course, this won’t be like a United States,” said Kaleağası.

Lisbon confirms enlargement strategy

European officials admitted that without Lisbon it would be impossible to enlarge the union but drew the line that it did not mean the treaty was adopted in the view of the imminent accession of Turkey and other candidate countries.

“With Turkey, there is an ongoing evaluation process; it will carry on in future years,” said Settembri. “The Department of Enlargement Commission will continue to exist.”