8 EU-Turkey partnership?
201. A number of our witnesses said that, given
the stalemate in the accession talks and the likely length of
Turkey's accession process, the EU needed to find a new mode of
engaging Turkey—as a partner, on key issues of mutual interest
such as energy security or the response to the 'Arab Spring'.[442]
A growing number of think-tank specialists have recently made
proposals to this effect.[443]
For its part, the FCO said that it supported "intensifying
the EU's existing dialogue with Turkey on foreign policy issues
of mutual interest".[444]
Katinka Barysch told us—as did the High Representative herself[445]—that
EU High Representative Ashton had close working relations with
Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoðlu, but that there was no
institutionalised mechanism for EU-Turkey foreign policy consultations
or co-operation.[446]
202. Ms Barysch stressed that engaging with a
candidate state as a partner would represent a significant and
potentially difficult shift for the EU from its normal relationship
with such a country.[447]
However, Dr Aybet urged the EU not to shy away from institutional
innovation in the case of its relations with Turkey.[448]
203. The EU's main risk in seeking to develop
more of a partnership relationship with Turkey would be being
seen to be backing away from the accession track. Turkey has previously
been reluctant about partnership-type ideas for this reason.[449]
204. Several of our witnesses said that the strengthened
bilateral relationship which the UK Government was seeking to
develop with Turkey already represented an accommodation with
a stalemated accession process and was the sort of initiative
which the EU should also pursue.[450]
- We recommend that the Government
should encourage EU personnel and institutions, including High
Representative Ashton, to explore with Turkey ways of developing
a partnership outside—but not prejudicial to—its EU
accession process, which we continue to regard as having key strategic
value.
442 Qq 86, 89 [Ms Barysch], Ev 86 [Dr Bechev] Back
443
Katinka Barysch, "Can Turkey combine EU accession and regional
leadership?", Centre for European Reform Policy Brief, January
2010; Heather Grabbe and Sinan Ulgen, "The way forward for
Turkey and the EU: A strategic dialogue on foreign policy",
Carnegie Endowment, December 2010; Philip Hanson, "On Europe's
Fringes: Russia, Turkey and the European Union", Chatham
House Briefing Paper July 2011; Katinka Barysch, "Why the
EU and Turkey Need to Coordinate Their Foreign Policies",
Carnegie Endowment, 31 August 2011 Back
444
Ev 55 Back
445
Oral evidence taken before the Foreign Affairs Committee on 21
November 2011, HC (2010-12) 1642-i, Q 49 Back
446
Q 101; see also Katinka Barysch, "Is Turkey our partner now?",
Centre for European Reform, 28 November 2011. Back
447
Qq 89, 101 Back
448
Q 132 Back
449
Q 89 [Ms Barysch] Back
450
Ev 65 [Dr Aybet], 113 [Mr Hakura] Back
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