Nederland wil publiek debat over EU-lidmaatschap voor Turkije (en)

EUOBSERVER / THE HAGUE - The Dutch EU Presidency has pledged to be fair on the question of whether Ankara is ready to start EU membership negotiations amid concerns that the EU may not be ready for Turkey.

"The Netherlands feels a responsibility to make sure that our decision is well-reasoned and rock-solid", said Dutch prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende on the eve of the Dutch EU Presidency.

While the European Commission will decide in the autumn whether Ankara has met the political criteria for joining the 25-nation block, Mr Balkenende says this is just one of two types of debate that will take place.

The Dutch leader said that discussion on the political criteria is "technical".

The second discussion amongst the European public is likely to centre around whether "an Islamic country belongs to Europe".

However, the Dutch are insisting that this debate, as well as whether the EU is actually ready for a country the size of Turkey, should not be additional criteria.

"We need fair play _ the rules of the game are clear", said Mr Balkenende referring to the fact that if the European Commission decides that Ankara is ready, it will then be up to leaders in December to actually decide, on the basis of the report, to open negotiations without delay.

Late debate

With French leadership ambivalent on Turkish EU membership, the opposition Christian Democrats in Germany actively opposing it and the Austrians also making negative sounds, the Dutch do feel that a debate will come - it is just later than it should have been.

Referring to 1999, when EU leaders actually decided to give Turkey candidate status, Dutch Europe minister Atzo Nicolaï said, "that was the time for debate".

He added, "I think the leaders knew what they decided but the public didn't know".

However, it is too late for the "principle debate" of whether Turkey should join the EU, he concluded.

"We have to realise Turkey has to be ready and the European Union has to be ready".

Mr Nicolaï also conceded that there is a risk that the planned Dutch referendum on the Constitution, which is set to happen in the same timeframe as a decision on Turkey, may be linked to the issue.

"That is always a risk", he said.