Spain sees place for Turkey in the European Union
Katarzyna Błędowska, January 15, 2010
Spain, which took over the presidency of the UE, believes that Turkey should join EU
Recent appointments of the EU "foreign minister" and "EU president" have put Spain, which have taken over the EU presidency, in a completely new situation. According to the ABC weekly, Miguel Moratinos, Spain’s foreign minister, is willing to give Herman van Rompuy and Catherine Ashton priority in representing the EU on the world stage. In this respect, it can be expected that Spain will support EU efforts, but will do so discreetly, aware that increasing the prestige of these two will influence the Union's image as a whole. It is very likely that, thanks to the Spanish efforts, the world will have a possibility to get to know the capabilities or even hidden potential of the new European tandem.
In controversial issues, like for example the future of Kosovo, Spain promises to take a neutral position to avoid conflicts. Spain is among these countries that do not recognize the independence of the Serbia’s breakaway province. As a country where separatist movements are relatively strong (the Basques as well as the increasingly active Catalans), Spain opposes any change of borders, especially those that sanction separatist tendencies. Most of the EU countries, however, acknowledged the independence proclaimed by the Kosovar Albanians. The Spanish would not interfere with the EU efforts in finding a common solution.
Further enlargement of the European Union (finalization of negotiations with Croatia, starting accession process with Iceland and Serbia) will be treated as a priority. Moreover, it is also expected that Spain will try to push forward the negotiations with Turkey: prime ministers of Spain and Turkey launched the initiative "Alliance of Civilizations" at the peak of the media-fueled fear of the "war of civilizations". A United Nations’ programme of building trust and mutual understanding across religious divisions was perhaps not the most spectacular proposal, but the Spanish will nonetheless tackle the challenge of EU-Turkey relations.
Since Spain is a country with a strong pro-Palestinian attitude, one can expect that the Spanish politicians will also try to play an active role in the Middle East peace process. According to El Pais, Miguel Moratinos wishes to be one of the fathers of an independent Palestine which would peacefully coexist with Israel. A recently signed declaration of the EU foreign ministers, that regulates the status of Jerusalem as a capital of two countries, is part of his concept. However, it is difficult to expect that the Spanish, who are a sort of "newcomers" in this game, will provide immediate solution to the Middle East permanent conflict which thousands of experienced diplomats cut their teeth on over the years.
Minister Moratinos said, in an interview for El Pais, that the accession negotiations with Turkey could be successfully finalized on condition that the Copenhagen criteria in areas such as democracy, human rights and the rule of law were fulfilled. In his opinion, Turkish membership "gives more advantages than disadvantages to Europe." Mr Moratinos has also admitted that there are many differences between the EU member states in this respect, but "everyone agreed to wait for the effects of the negotiations." Turkey is an integral part of the European family, and it is "better to have Turkey in the EU than leave it aside" – said Mr Moratinos. Reuters notes that Spain is holding the EU presidency until the end of June 2010 and it hopes to open four new chapters in the negotiations with Turkey. Madrid also anticipates to make some progress as regards the Cyprus issue. The Republic of Cyprus which an EU member state, blocks Ankara's efforts to join the EU.