Turks EU-lidmaatschap thema tijdens verkiezingscampagne Duitsland (en)

German opposition politicians are planning on making enlargement a campaign theme as the country gears itself up for possible early general elections in September.

During a debate in German parliament on Monday (30 May), Michael Glos a top CSU politician, said that Chancellor Gerhard Schröder shared some of the blame for the French rejection of the constitution.

According to Mr Glos, the chancellor insisted on pushing through early membership negotiations with Turkey although many French citizens are against the idea.

He went on to say that the planned general elections would also mean a new beginning in EU questions.

"The referendum result raises the question of whether accession negotiations with Turkey - on the German unification day of all days - can begin as planned".

Meanwhile, CDU politician Peter Müller, the head of the Saarland region, said that the EU needs some breathing space, according to German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Speaking before a gathering of CDU and CSU politicians, Mr Müller said that the French result was due to "discomfort with the enlargement process".

He also said that there should be further negotiations with Bulgaria and Romania - both of which are due to join the bloc in 2007.

Angela Merkel, now a candidate for the chancellorship, warned against "overstretching" the EU. She added that the vote in France must be taken seriously saying "We have to draw the right lessons for the future [from the result]".

Turkey has rejected claims that the French referendum result will affect its EU chances.

"The result is something that concerns the French public - not Turkey", said foreign minister Abdullah Gül, according to the Anatolian news agency.

"The start of negotiations is in our hands", he said.

Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso also said that the French referendum has no consequences for the Turkish accession negotiations.

Referring to Bulgaria and Romania, a commission spokesperson last week pointed out that the agreement that the two countries join the EU in 2007, with the possibility of one year's postponement, had been approved by all member states.

However, the enlargement debate is likely to remain a top theme in Germany and the rest of the EU as its conservative politicians try to bring it on to the agenda of Europe's largest political family, the European People's Party.

On top of this, another possible obstacle for Sofia and Bucharest is that all countries have to ratify their EU accession treaties before they can join the bloc.

The next months will be telling for Germany's EU debate.

With Chancellor Schröder's Social Democrats doing so poorly in the polls, analysts are suggesting that Mrs Merkel and her Christian Democrat party have a real chance of getting into power in September.