The issue of possible Turkish accession to the EU was brought up by a large number of MEPs in this month's debate on enlargement at Strasbourg. The matter was highly topical, following the rejection by the Turkish government of the EU's proposal for handling its long-standing membership application. Ankara believes that the position reached by the EU at the Luxembourg Summit discriminates against Turkey. Turkey has threatened retaliation, including formal withdrawal of its application for full membership, and a refusal to attend the enlargement conference to be held in London next April.
At issue are the conditions placed on Turkey by the EU. These include the requirement to improve its human rights position, to protect the rights of its Kurdish minority and to resolve its territorial dispute with Greece. Ankara believes that it is being treated more unfavourably than the other applicants for membership, partly because the EU is suspicious of a largely Islamic country, and because of the hostile attitude of Greece.
However, Jean-Claude Juncker and Jacques Poos for the Luxembourg Presidency and Jacques Santer for the Commission argued in Parliament that the door was still open for Turkey to join the EU, and that the European proposal offers a constructive way forward. Mr Poos stressed that the EU's offer was "sincere, substantial and credible" and that it was now up to Turkey to follow the route that had been set. However, he cautioned that the EU was "a community of values and objectives" and that it was now up to Turkey to show that she shared them. This line was supported by the great majority of MEPs in the debate.