BRUSSELS – At a time when the EU faces
economic challenges and continuing instability in the Middle East, our
relationship with Turkey matters more than ever.

“We are united in seeing the accession process as a vital framework for cooperation” (Photo: svenwerk)Last week saw the 50th EU/Turkey Association Council, which
demonstrated the need to work together to promote our shared
prosperity, security and values.In these tough economic times, increasing trade with Turkey offers
opportunities for EU businesses. With a GDP growth rate of 8.5 percent
last year, the second fastest in the G20 after China, Turkey is now the
EU’s fifth largest export market.

Turkish entrepreneurs in Europe run businesses worth €40 billion,
employing half a million people. In sectors like aviation, automobiles
and electronics, our economies are increasingly integrated.Turkey is well placed to become an energy hub, with both sides
benefiting from projects to build the necessary infrastructure,
including development of the Southern gas corridor.

The commercial relationship is strong, but could be stronger. While
EU-Turkey trade has grown steadily, Turkey’s trade with other regions
has grown even faster.

This is partly a symptom of the wider shift of economic power to
Asia, but also reflects problems with the EU-Turkey customs union and
other trade restrictions that prevent our commercial relationship from
achieving its full potential.

Removing these restrictions should form an important part of wider
efforts to boost economic growth, building on the recent G20 Summit and
on the European Council later this week.

We welcome the very recent agreement on a path towards visa
liberalisation, linked to broader co-operation on migration. This has
the potential to promote trade, combat illegal immigration and support
wider people to people contacts.

Here, signature by Turkey of the EU-Turkey readmission agreement
would be a crucial step on the way
towards fulfilling Turkish citizens’
aspirations to travel more freely in Europe.

As the dialogue between the EU and Turkey on mobility and security
grows, we hope to see further concrete results. In this framework, we
hope Turkey will extend visa free travel to EU member states.

Reinforcing collective security

The last few months have again demonstrated Turkey’s importance in
supporting stability in the Middle East and beyond. Istanbul has hosted a
series of key meetings to discuss Syria, Iran, Somalia and terrorism.

Turkey is playing a critical and constructive role in increasing
international pressure on the regime of President Bashar Assad in Syria
and is a crucial partner in building security in Afghanistan.

Turkey offers its neighbours an inspirational example of a secular
and democratic country with a growing middle class. At the same time,
the EU remains the largest trading partner for most of these countries
and a vital source of investment and ideas.

The many priorities the EU and Turkey share in this region make it
essential that we continue to deepen our co-operation. Our meeting with
foreign minister Davutoglu in the margins of the March foreign affairs
council, initiated by EU foreign affairs head Cathy Ashton, was a good
first step.

We should build on this through further dialogue on regional issues
like the Western Balkans and Southern Caucasus and joint projects in the
Middle East and North Africa. The EU and Turkey should be partners in
shaping events. Working together we can achieve more and send a stronger
message to encourage transformation.

Sharing common values

Turkey’s ability to inspire reform in its neighbourhood is linked to
its EU accession process. The Turkey of today is radically transformed
from the country that applied to join the EU a quarter of a century ago.

Just as the EU helped consolidate democracy across Central Europe and
continues to promote democracy in Eastern Europe, the accession process
has played a powerful role in supporting Turkey’s reforms in areas such
as civilian control of the military and the independence of the
judiciary.

Significant results have been achieved but, as Turkey itself
recognises, reform remains a work in progress. Improvements are needed
in the areas of freedom of expression, women’s rights and protection of
minorities.

The work on a new constitution presents a crucial opportunity to address such issues.

We encourage Turkey to maintain an inclusive constitutional reform
process and welcome the recent discussions between Prime Minister
Erdogan and opposition leader Kilicdaroglu, including on how to address
the Kurdish issue and the menace of PKK terrorism.

Turkey’s constructive contribution to a Cyprus settlement and its
willingness to open its ports and airports to Cypriot vessels remain
key. Progress is also needed on the important issue of EU-Nato
co-operation, where we encourage Turkey to show flexibility.

Reinvigorating the accession process

Just as Turkey must meet its obligations to the EU, so the EU must meet its obligations to Turkey.

Commissioner Stefan Fuele has led the way with his “positive agenda”
for EU-Turkey relations, designed to support the accession process and
strengthen practical co-operation. He has our full support.

We represent countries that have not always shared the same view on how to realise Turkey’s European perspective.

But we are united in seeing the accession process as a vital framework for cooperation and a powerful stimulus for reform.

Injecting new momentum into the process will benefit both the EU and Turkey. That must be our ambition in the months ahead.

Nikolay Mladenov, Urmas Paet, Erkki Tuomioja, Guido Westerwelle,
Janos Martonyi, Giulio Terzi di Sant’agata, Edgars Rinkevics, Audronius
Azubalis, Radoslaw Sikorski, Paulo Portas, Andrei Marga, Miroslav
Lajcak, Karl Erjavec, Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo, Carl Bildt and
William Hague are the Foreign Ministers of Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland,
Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania,
Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK
http://euobserver.com/7/116780