FIFTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE EU TURKEY AND THE KURDS

FIFTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE EU, TURKEY AND THE KURDS
On such few occasions as the member states manage to speak with one voice, they do
sometimes manage to bring some influence to bear. That was the case for example in
August of last year, on the occasion of the clash between Georgia and Russia. There
at least we did manage to stop the arms firing. But in other instances, for example the
Balkans, which neighboured on the European Union zone territory we didn’t manage
to work out any means of avoiding the massacres that occurred there.
For all these reasons, if we look back at our history, we can see that integration has
been a wonderful instrument. I say that because we have managed to welcome and
stabilize countries which were emerging from the experience of totalitarianism,
countries such as Spain, Portugal and Greece, and joining the European Union allowed
them to stabilize their democracies. And I think we can say that process can
be regarded as irreversible, I am sure no one could imagine the Colonels returning
to Greece or Salazar-like figures returning to Portugal. So integration and accession
has been the key. With Spain and Portugal joining, and now Eastern European countries,
we have gotten away from the idea that the European Union was a club for rich
countries. With the prospect of Turkey joining today we can break another taboo, the
idea that the European Union is some sort of Christian club. So that might hold out
a wonderful prospect.
If Europe really wishes to play a role in the future of the world, it cannot overlook
its south-eastern flank, made up by a key country, Turkey, as well as relations with
Russia. I also think we need very wide-ranging relations with Africa too. We need a
privileged partnership with that continent in my view.
Now, precisely because we want to have some bearing on the course of world affairs,
I think that Turkish accession isn’t some sort of concession that the European Union
will be making to the Turks as a whole or to Prime Minister Erdoğan. It is in Europe’s
own interest, for the prospect of peace and prosperity. Having said that, it is not a
European Commission issue to debate.
In my talks with colleagues from other European countries I would say that we in
Italy are in a privileged position in this debate in so far as all our political parties are
in favour of Turkish accession. No one is saying this should not take place. Public
opinion may be slightly more sceptical, but in the political sphere this isn’t an issue
that’s being used to score party political points. In other European countries, this has
become a domestic political concern. That’s something we should avoid. I feel though
that things are improving on this front, in France too, where there was that terrible
decision on the part of president Chirac to have the constitution amended, so as to
bring in a referendum tailored towards Turkey. The constitution was duly amended.
Perhaps similar tools should be made available. In Italy, for example, we can have
a referendum, but you cannot convene a referendum on the economic issues to do
with the state budget, nor on international treaties, because the people who wrote our
constitution realised that international relations and international treaties could not
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