The Guardian
Tuesday, October 4 2005
To borrow a phrase from the Queen, 2005 is turning into the European Union's annus horribilis. Its dreams of ever closer union were shattered when French and Dutch voters rejected the EU's draft constitution. The subsequent EU summit was one of most acrimonious on record, with additional rifts opening up over the budget and Britain's rebate
And now, despite yesterday's last-gasp deal to Ankara on its membership application, the wrangling that preceded it in Luxembourg has again left the EU looking weak, out of touch, and uncertain of its path.
The fact that Austria, reneging on previous commitments and claiming it alone was "listening to the people", could block the process for almost two days exposed the structural weakness of collective EU decision-making. And when Turkey's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, bypassed EU leaders and appealed to the US to help put a stop to the squabbling, the EU's public humiliation seemed almost complete.
"This has been a very difficult year for the EU, there's no question," a senior diplomat said. "What has been happening in Luxembourg is dismaying. But it's part of the bigger problem about where Europe is going. The votes on the constitution gave the impression of a shambles, the budget was another big blow. Both could have been avoided.
"The Turkey issue has not been handled very diplomatically by the British," the diplomat said. "Many people in Europe feel this. The British could have managed Cyprus and Austria in a better way. But they waited too long. And the arguments are not over."
Whether or not predominantly Muslim, secular Turkey eventually achieves full membership, the row has caused considerable damage - and threatens to do more. Much of European public opinion opposes Turkey's bid. It has become entangled with immigration, employment and religious issues. It has triggered the airing of ill-disguised racial prejudice. None of these problems were resolved yesterday.
The Turkey question has been exploited by politicians such as Germany's Angela Merkel and France's Nicolas Sarkozy, and is unlikely to stop. It has allowed Turkish nationalists to characterise Europe as a Christian club intolerant of Muslims. And EU ambivalence has raised fears Mr Erdogan's reforms will lose support and stall.
To make matters worse, diplomats say the EU is poorly placed at present to dig itself out of trouble. Its traditional "motor" - the Franco-German alliance - is out of petrol. French President Jacques Chirac has been weakened by political reverses and, more recently, by illness. In Germany, nobody is entirely sure who is leading the country.
Yesterday's shambolic events are also likely to intensify criticism of Britain's EU presidency, especially over budget reform and the cost of expansion. "The basic problem is that the country that was most in favour of enlargement does not want to pay for it," the senior European diplomat said.
Like the EU after a bruising year, Britain's credibility is on the line. One reason, perhaps, why Tony Blair is going to Paris on Friday to confront his old sparring partner, Mr Chirac.
