Federico Bordonaro

Commento per ISN sulla spinosa questione del genocidio armeno e sulle sue ricadute politiche.

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The French Parliament’s move comes at a time of increasing difficulties in Euro-Turkish relations.

Prominent politicians in France, Germany and the Netherlands have taken a hostile stance to Turkey’s EU integration, and now openly speak in favor of a mere “special relationship” between the EU and Ankara as opposed to its accession.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Erdogan on 5 October that “Turkey must fully recognize [Greek-controlled] Cyprus” if it were to join the EU. Since Germany will take the helm of the EU’s rotating presidency next January, the announcement was a sign that Merkel would again put pressure on Ankara.

Although Turkey remains crucial for European security, including in the area of energy, Western European leaders appear increasingly sensitive to cultural aspects of the integration issue, as the intellectual debate over the political and social aspects of Islam is heats up in Europe.

While Chirac may work to annul the bill, his chances of success are not high, and the short-term outlook for Franco-Turkish relations is bleak. Nicolas Sarkozy, the Union for a Popular Movement’s candidate for the French presidency next year, is wagering on his electorate’s opposition to Ankara’s accession, while the Socialists do not show any enthusiasm for it, either. More generally, Euro-Turkish relations appear to be deteriorating even as Ankara remains determined to join the EU.