EU Discusses Turkish Proviso To Customs Agreement

by Ulrika Lomas, for LawAndTax-News.com, Brussels

02 September 2005

Turkey's declaration that it will not recognise the legitimacy of the Greek-Cypriot government need not present a barrier to the country commencing EU membership talks in October, says the EU, but ministers are trying to agree a counter-declaration in response.

In early August, the Turkish authorities signed a protocol extending the 1963 customs agreement with the European Union to the ten new member states, a move which was a prerequisite for the country's commencement of membership talks.

However, as expected, the government attached a proviso to the agreement stressing that it did not imply a recognition of the legitimacy of the Greek-Cypriot government's claim to represent the whole island. The statement piggy-backed onto the agreement announced that:

"The signing, ratification and implementation of this protocol in no way means recognition of the Republic of Cyprus, which the protocol refers to."

"Turkey will continue to regard the Greek Cypriot authorities as exercising authority, control and jurisdiction only in the territory south of the buffer zone (in Cyprus)... and as not representing the Turkish Cypriot people and will treat the acts performed by them accordingly."

An European Council meeting on Wednesday confirmed that the attachment to Turkey's signature of the agreement shouldn't be viewed as especially significant.

Speaking to the EU Observer, an unnamed official explained that it was being viewed by EU member states as an "additional, unilateral document with limited influence, which does not change the provisions of the protocol and should not therefore complicate the situation or create difficulties for starting the negotiations". He went on to add: "It seems like France has softened its stance and has supported a compromise solution with several other countries."

The matter also came under scrutiny at a meeting of EU foreign ministers which commenced on Thursday.

The Presidency's first attempt to draft a counter-declaration were rejected by Cyprus, with support from a number of other memebr states, as being too bland. Although Cyprus has more or less said that it won't veto the commencement of negotiations in October, it is demanding that the counter-declaration should be in meaningful terms.

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