We
think a President of the United States should refrain from such
comments if he does not want to lose friends of his country in
Europe.
What business could he have
to speak on the internal housekeeping of another group of
nations ?
We feel hurt and
humiliated.
On the long pending Turkish requests for EU membership we think that not full accession but a properly negotiated alternative preferential relationship (see our document in this website " P our une Turquie état associé à l'UE" ) would be better for Europe AND for Turkey.
Even those who hold that same opinion may in light of the President’s remarks shrug their shoulders, and say : “Don’t worry, in the present state of Transatlantic relations such intrusion of America’s President on Europe’s internal affairs will have an effect opposite to what Mr Bush may desire: the intrusion will antagonize the European public even further. It will therefore also work against the advancement of the Turkish candidature”.
Intrusions like this recent one should not occur again. The United States and the European Union may have legitimate reasons for weighing EU accessions differently. While for the USA geopolitics and military alliances may be a main pre-occupation, for Europe the maintenance of internal social and cultural cohesion is a top priority. Therefor decisions on accession require our utmost care and prudence.
Nor is it true – as mr Bush maintains - that all conditions are fulfilled for Turkey’s accession. Read on that point our article on the “ Copenhagen Criteria ” of which we say that they may be necessary but are not sufficient. They are insufficient in asmuch as they do not deal with cultural and social cohesion. Apart from the Copenhagen criteria Europe may well have additional criteria in making choices for accession.
When we chose the title “VOICES OF EUROPE” as the masthead of this website, we had some doubt whether it was allright to put an english word on top. Some thought we might better have chosen “Voces Europae” from our european common latin heritage. But one important reason for us in choosing the english version was to offer a bridge to the other side of the Atlantic, by a reference to the wellknown “Voice of America” to which in earlier times we have so fondly listened.
Our friends in AFSA, the American Foreign Service
Association, in the Council for Foreign Relations, in the
Trilateral Commission, in Brookings, the Heritage Fund, in AEI
and all the other good policy-making think tanks of America must
know that many in Europe feel hurt and humiliated by admonitions
as those made by the President on internal matters of our
European future.
In your thinking on such matters, and for the improvement of
transatlantic relations we would be eager to hear your voice and
keep contact with you on future occasions. May we hear a
word?
Paris 29th june 2004