19.2.94 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC52/43
OpiniononrelationsbetweentheEuropeanUnionandTurkey
(94/C52/15)
On30June1993theEconomicandSocialCommittee,actingunderthefourthparagraphof
Article20ofitsRulesofProcedure,decidedtodrawupanOpiniononrelationsbetween
theEuropeanUnionandTurkey.
TheSectionforExternalRelations,TradeandDevelopmentPolicy,whichwasresponsible
forpreparingtheCommittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon9December
1993.TheRapporteurwasMrsCassina.
Atits311thPlenarySession(meetingof22December1993),theEconomicandSocial
CommitteeadoptedthefollowingOpinionby86votesto22with21abstentions .
1.Introduction alargemajority,anInformationReportwhichstated
that'theESC'sdirectcontribution tothesocialand
politicaldialogueprovidedforintheAnkaraAgree­
ment,andrepeatedlycalledforinCommissionand
AssociationCouncildocuments,shouldbelaunched
withoutfurtherdelay'(paragraph11.7).
1.3.3.ThisOpinionwillnotrepeattheinformation
andassessmentscontainedintheInformationReport,
butrelatestoitexceptfordevelopments whichhave
occurredinthemeantime .
1.4.Threequestionswerefrequentlyandforcefully
raisedduringthepreparationsanddiscussionsforthe
InformationReport:thelevelofdemocracyachievedin
Turkey(particularlyinthesocialfield),theissueof
Kurdishrights,andtheCyprusquestion.Eventsin
recentmonthsmustbeassessedbeforeanaffirmative
responsecanbemadetotheCopenhagenCouncil'scall
'toensurethatthereisnowaneffectiveimplementation
oftheguidelineslaiddownbytheEuropeanCouncil
inLisbononintensifiedcooperationanddevelopment
ofrelationswithTurkey?(ConclusionsofthePresi­
dency,point6).
1.4*1.Democracyandsociety:thenewgovernment
headedbyMrsTansu(fillerhas,initsprogramme,
madeanumberofimportantstatements .Itisplanned,
inparticular :
—toabolishtheemergencylegislation;
—totakeactivestepstoprotecttheindependenceof
thejudiciary;
—tocontinuebringingTurkishlegislationintoline
withinternationalconventions ;
—toreducethesizeofthearmy(bymorethanhalf);
—tosetupajudiciaryforyoungpeople;
—toprioritizethedevelopmentofbackwardareas;
—toprovideincentivesforenvironmental conser­
vation;
—toremovetheStatebroadcastingmonopoly;1.1.Theinstitutional framework forrelations
betweentheECandTurkeyconsistsoftheAgreement
ofAssociation,signed30yearsago,togetherwiththe
protocolslaiddownandratifiedsubsequently .
1.2.BeforelaunchingintotheOpinionitself,itis
worthrememberingthatanAssociationAgreement
involvescommitments whichthepartiesarerequired
tohonourbothseparatelyand,mostimportantly,in
cooperationwitheachother.Theratesofprogressand
contentofthediversephasesofimplementation are,
ofcourse,assessedovertime,byboththeauthorities
responsiblefortheoperationoftheAgreement (the
CouncilofAssociation )andtheinstitutionsofthe
contractingpartiesinvolvedinitsoperation.
1.2.1.Timetablescanbedisruptedbytheemergence
ofnewfactorsorproblems:thishasoccurredwiththe
AnkaraAgreement .Todate,however,notevenduring
themomentsofgreateststraininrelationsbetween
themhaveeitherofthepartiesexpressedanyintention
ofrevokingtheAgreement,eveninpart.
1.3.TheOpinionsetsouttoassesscurrenttrendsin
EC/Turkeyrelationswithaviewtoproposingmeasures
whichmight'ensurethefulfilmentoftheobligations
arisingfromthisagreement'(Article7oftheAgreement
signedon12September1963andcomingintoforcethe
followingyear—henceforthreferredtoasthe'Ankara
Agreement').
1.3.1.Turningtothemorespecificaspectofdirect
ESCinvolvement ,thereisaneedtoestablishobjectives
andidentifythestepswhichtheCommittee,insofar
asitiscompetent,mightpropose,withaviewto
implementing Article27oftheAnkaraAgreement,
whichprovidesforastructureddialoguebetweenthe
ESCandTurkishsocio-professional organizations .
1.3.2.On16June1993theSectionforExternal
Relations,TradeandDevelopment Policyadopted,by

NoC52/44 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 19.2.94
—toallowtradeunionsforpublicsectorworkers.
1.4.1.1.Themostimportantdeclaration,however,
asreportedby'Newspot'(No93/13),isthatTurkey
needsanewConstitutionencompassing alltheingredi­
entsforpluralisticdemocracy,humanrights,individual
rights,andtradeunionrightsandfreedoms,as
enshrinedintheCharterofParis.
1.4.1.2.TheTurkishGovernment'seffortsinthis
directionmustbegiveneverysupportandencourage­
mentiftheyaretoresultinpracticalmeasuresleading
totherapidcompletionofthecountry'sdemocratic
foundation .dealingswithboththeTurkishGovernmentandvari­
ousKurdishrepresentatives onthisapproach.
1.4.3.TheCyprusquestion.NegotiationsattheUN'
havebeeninterrupted,sincetheTurkishCypriotrep­
resentative,MrDenktash,stoppedattendingthetalks,
subsequentlygivinguphisnegotiatingbrief.TheUN
Secretary,MrBoutrosGhali,hasseverelycriticizedthis
decision.However,hehasalsodeclaredtheTurkish
Government'ssupportforthepackageofconfidence­
buildingmeasurestobeencouragingandhasurged
Ankaratoemphasisethissupportinitscontactswith
theTurkishCypriotcommunity .
1.4.3.1.ThenewTurkishGovernment ,foritspart,
hasemphasizeditswillingnesstoworktowardsapoliti­
calsolutionandanoverallimprovement inrelations
withGreece,buthasalsopointedoutthatitisprinci­
pallyuptotheCypriotstosettletheirdifferencesatthe
UN.
1.4.3.2.On30June1993theCommissionpublished
itsopiniononCyprus'applicationtojointheEC.
GiventheRepublicofCyprus'levelofeconomicand
democraticdevelopment ,andthepositiveeffectsthat
accessionmighthaveontheislandasawhole,the
Commission concludedthattheapplicationwas
admissible,addingthatthiswouldsendapositivesignal
totheCypriotpopulation .Itwouldthereforeinitiate
theprocedureleadingtoaccessionassoonasmore
certainprospectsforasolutiontotheCypriotproblem
emerged[COM(93)313final].
1.4.3.3.InitsConclusions ,theCommissionunder­
linedtheEC'ssupportfortheUNSecretaryGeneral's
effortstoachieveapoliticalsettlementoftheCypriot
question.Inthemeantime,theCommissionwouldbe
readytobeginpreliminarydiscussions,iftheCouncil
sodecided(1).
1.4.3.4.Intheeventthatthehoped-forsolutionwas
notachieved,theCommissionwouldre-examinethe
matterfromJanuary1995.
1.4.3.5.TheCommitteeconsequently urgesthe
Communityauthoritiestoworkatalllevelstofacilitate
theearliestpossiblepoliticalsolution,withintheframe­
workoftheUNinitiative.1.4.2.TheKurdishproblem.Theunilateralceasefire
declaredlastspringbythePKKunfortunatelylastedno
morethanafewmonths.Thereisnopointin
attemptingtoestablishherewhethertheblameforthe
resurgenceoffightingliesexclusivelywithonesideor
theother.Thefactisthatseriousclashes,withcivilian
casualties,continuetooccur,whilethePKKhas
extendeditsattackstoforeigncitizens,someofwhom
havebeenkidnappedbyitsguerrillas.TheCommittee
isgreatlyconcernedbytheworseningsituation,and
callsontheTurkishGovernmenttomakeeveryeffort
tocreatetheconditionsforapoliticalsolution.
1.4.2.1.Thefundamentalrightsofpeoplesmustbe
safeguardedthroughouttheworld,butpoliticalsol­
utionstoconflictsmustbefound:nowmorethanever,
asmisconceptions andabuseofthe'rightsofpeoples'
haveledtomorethan200,000deathsintheformer
Yugoslavia,andwearewitnessingareturnofthe
horrorsofthelastworldwar,thedemocraticnations
muststepuptheireffortstopromotepeaceful,political
solutionstosuchproblems.TheprogressintheMiddle
Eastpeacetalkslendsweighttothisapproach.
1.4.2.2.TheunityoftheTurkishState—afounding
principleforTurkey—shouldbecompatiblenotonly
withtherightoftheKurdstouseandteachtheirown
languageandsurvivaloftheircustomsandtraditions,
butalsowithproperlevelsofadministrative autonomy .
Economicandsocialdevelopmentinthepredominantly
Kurdish-populated areascouldhelpcreateaclimate
forthepeacefulcoexistence,withinasingleState,of
differentethnicgroups(ofwhichTurkeycontains
dozens).2.ThecurrentstateofEC/Turkishrelations
2.1.Turkey'simportanceasanECpartnerandits
pivotalrolebetweenWesternEurope,CentralAsia,the
Caucasus,theBalkansandtheMiddleEastisbeyond
question.
1.4.2.3.Todenythisvision,ortofailtoacceptthat
timewillbeneededtobringitabout,wouldsimply
condemnmillionstocontinuingviolence,inthesearch
fordefinitivesolutionswhichwillnevercome.TheEU,
theESCandtheMemberStatesshouldbasetheir(')TheCounciladopteditsOpinionon4October1993andhas
authorizedtheCommissiontobegindiscussions .

19.2.94 NoC52/45 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities
2.1.1.ThisimportanceiscombinedwithTurkey's
resoluteandconsistentdecisiontoalignitselffullywith
theCommunity .2.6.1.The1970AdditionalProtocollaysdownthat
thecustomsunionshallbesetupoveraperiodof22
yearsfromtheentryintoforceoftheprotocol(1973):
inotherwords,by1995.
2.6.1.1.TheAssociationCouncilof9November
1992andtheAssociationCommitteeof16April1993
appraisedthemeasureswhichmustbetakenbyboth
partiesinordertokeeptothetimetableforthecustoms
unionunderthemostadvantageousconditionspossible.
Theobjective,ofcourse,remainsfullimplementation
oftheunion.2.1.2.Turkey'sforeignpolicyorientationandthe
thrustofitsdiplomacyintheBalkans,CentralAsia,
theCaucasusandtheMiddleEast—allareascharac­
terizedbytheriskofdestabilization anddevelopment
problems—arebroadeningitsresponsibilities .Itis
clearlyintheCommunity'sinteresttosupportTurkey
inimplementingstabilizationanddevelopmentpolicy.
2.2.ThispointhasfrequentlybeenmadebyCom­
munityinstitutionsand,mostrecently,bytheCom­
missionerforExternalPoliticalRelations,MrVanden
Broek,whovisitedTurkeyinMayofthisyear.2.6.1.2.Theseappraisalsshouldbetakenasastart­
ingpoint,sincetheytouchupontheproposedinsti­
tutionalframeworkfortheimplementation ofthe
AnkaraAgreement .TheESCmaymakeitsowninde­
pendentvoiceheardonthismatter,addingitsown
judgmentsandproposals.
3.Completionofthecustomsunion2.3.AnumberofrecentCommunitysummits(Dub­
lin,Lisbon,Edinburgh,Copenhagen )referredtoEC/
TurkeyrelationsintheirConclusions,highlightingtheir
importanceandcallingforcompletefulfilmentofobli­
gationsundertheAnkaraAgreementanditsvarious
protocols.
2.4.Followingthedifficultiesofthe1980scausedby
theinstallationofamilitaryregime,theprogressive
returntodemocracyhasgeneratedasignificantupsurge
inAssociationCouncilactivity.Aseriesofguidelines
forthecompletionofthecustomsunion,accordingto
thetimetableandmethodssetoutinthe1970protocol,
isemerging.3.1.TheCommunitynotedwithsatisfactionthe
measurestakenbytheTurkishauthoritiesintheearly
partoftheyear(1).Thesemeasureswere:
—furthereliminationofcustomsdutiesinrespectof
theECinpursuitoftheaimof80%and70%
abolition(12-yearand22-yearlistsrespectively);
—furtheralignmentontheCommonCustomsTariff,
inpursuitoftheaimof60%and50%alignment
(12-yearand22-yearlistsrespectively);
—newimportarrangements (the'unifiedcharge'sys­
tem)withpreferentialtreatmentforECproducts,
includinganumberofagriculturalandfisheries
productsandcoalandsteelproducts.
3.1.1.SimilartreatmentisgrantedtotheEFTA
countries,withwhichTurkeyhassignedafreetrade
agreement .2.5.TheEC/TurkeyInterparliamentary Assembly
hasalsometanumberoftimesinrecentyears.The
EuropeanParliament,whilevoicingreservationsasto
thematurityofTurkishdemocracy,condemningAnka­
ra'sstanceontheKurdsandpointingtoTurkish
responsibilities intheCyprusquestion,hasacknowl­
edgedthescaleanddynamismofthecurrentphaseof
overalldevelopmentinthecountry.
3.2.TheEChasneverthelessexpresseddissatis­
factiononatleastthreecounts:
—Turkeyoperatesa'SocialHousingFund'financed
byimportdutiesandalsoatleastinpartbywith­
drawalsfromotherfundsnowabolished;suchwith­
drawalsaretantamount,fortheCommunity ,to
'chargeshavingequivalenteffect'tocustomsduties;
—Turkishlawstillcontainsprovisionsconstituting
non-tariffbarriers(e.g.groupingcommonly-used2.6.Themostpressing—andmostquoted—aim
inthecurrentstateofEC/Turkishrelationsisfull
completionofthecustomsunion.Itsaccomplishment
wouldbringusuptothethird('final')stageindicated
intheAnkaraAgreement,tobebasedonthecustoms
union,andwouldentail'closercoordinationofthe
economicpoliciesoftheContractingParties'(closer
alignmentofthesepoliciesissetoutasanobjectiveof
thecurrent'transitionalstage'—Article4(1)ofthe
Agreement).Asalreadyindicated,theAnkaraAgree­
mentprovidesforareasofcooperationbeyondthe
customsunion:suchcooperationis,perhaps,nowof
moresignificancetothedevelopmentofEC/Turkish
relationsthanthecustomsunionitself. (')SeetheAssociationCommitteeof16April1993.

NoC52/46 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 19.2.94
anadequatetaxbaseandasoundStatebudgetallowing
properallocationstobemadeforsocialobjectives.products—toothpaste—withmedicines,andcer­
tainlaboriousimportcontrolproceduresforEC
agriculturalimports);
—thecontentofregulationsonintellectualproperty
(patents,trademarksandcopyright)andtherate
atwhichtheyarebeingdrawnupdonotinspire
sufficientconfidence,notwithstanding Turkey's
stateddetermination tosettlethisproblem.3.4.2.Opportunities havehoweveropenedupinthe
sphereofEC/Turkeycooperationwithregardtoinfra­
structurenetworks:prioritymightbegiventocivil
andhousinginfrastructureprojects,soastomakethe
abolitionoftheHousingFundeasierforTurkey.Incen­
tivesmightalsobeprovidedforinvestmentfromEC
countriesinsocialhousing.
3.2.1.TheECdelegationhas,however,notedthat
thecustomscooperationcommittee (setupbythe
AssociationCouncil)iscarryingoutthorough-going
andvaluableworktoclearupthedifficultiessurround­
ingtariffs,dutiesandnon-tariffbarriers.Thesame
committeeshouldalsoexaminethethornyproblemof
devisingproceduresidenticalto,andoftheharmoniza­
tionofstandardswith,Communityonesforachieving
thecustomsunion.3.4.3.Europeaninvestors,itwillberemembered ,
operateinTurkeybecauseoftwomainfactors:low
labourcostsandhighlyfavourabletaxarrangements ,
borderingonexemptioninthe'freezones',forinstance.
Europeanproducersoftenraisetheissueofprotection
forsectorsvulnerabletoTurkishimports.Thesame
producers,however,areoftenalsoinvestorsinTurkey
and,assuch,enjoythetaxincentivesmentioned.Lib­
eralizationclearlycannotbeunilateral(freeentryfor
CommunityproductstoTurkeywhilecomplaining
aboutAnkara'ssupportforitsownexportingindus­
tries),thentakingfulladvantageofallthefacilities
offeredtoforeigninvestors.3.2.2.ThemainapparentobstacleistheHousing
Fund,theclearsocialscopeofwhichrunscounter
toitsmethodoffinancing:thisisincompatiblewith
completionofthecustomsunion.
3.4.3.1.Intheinterestofgreaterequity,regulartax­
ationmustequallyapplytoforeigninvestors,thereby
helpingtorestoreTurkey'sbalanceofpaymentsand
toliberalizetradewithintheframeworkoftheCustoms
Union.3.2.3.Incontrast,withregardtoeliminationof
dutiesandalignmentontheCommonCustomsTariff
—aboveandbeyondthepressurewhichtheCom­
munitywillcontinuetoplaceontheTurkishauthori­
ties,togetherwithdue,appropriatetechnical
support—itisonlyfairtowelcomeandencouragethe
AnkaraGovernment'sprogramme ,whichsetsoutto
accelerate100%completionofobjectiveswithinthe
deadlineset.
3.5.Atleasttwofurtherquestionsinjectadegreeof
tensionintoEC/Turkisheconomicrelations:textile
importsfromTurkeyandthealignmentofTurkish
farmpolicywiththeCAP.3.3.TheAnkaraauthoritieshaverestatedtheir
determination toachieveafullcustomsunionwiththe
EC,althoughtheypointoutthattheTurkish/ECtrade
balanceismovingagainstthem,atthesametimeasthe
processofliberalization ,tariffabolitionandcommon
customstariffalignmentisadvancing.3.5.1.TextileproductimportsfromTurkeyareregu­
latedbydirectvoluntaryrestraintagreementsbetween
theECCommission andtheAssociationofTurkish
TextileExporters.Negotiationsfortherenewalofthe
agreementonclothingconcludedwithasigninglast
June.Theyprovidefora12.5%increaseinexports.
Negotiationsfortheagreementontextilesandknitwear
continue.3.4.AnkaraplacestheHousingFundquestionina
broadercontext,emphasizingthatnoneoftheefforts
beingmadeontheTurkishsidearereceivinganyfinan­
cialassistance .AbolitionoftheFundissaidtobeunder
consideration ,althoughAnkarahasindicatedthatit
maybeallowedtocontinueuntil1998. 3.5.1.1.Turkeyisthesecondexporteroftextilesto
theEC,tothevalueofECU2.9bnayear.Textiles
accountfor35%ofthecountry'stotalexports.Turkish
textilesproducerscomplainthatimportstotheEC
fromotherthirdcountriesarerisingsignificantly ,and
arguethattheTurkishtextilesindustryistheonlyone
withthepotentialtoboostthedevelopmentofthe
sectorinthesurroundingregion.3.4.1.TheInformationReporthighlightedthe
implicitrelationshipbetweenthefinancingneedsofa
socially-oriented fundandTurkishStatebudgetdiffi­
culties:clearly,theonlystructuralsolutionconsistsof

19.2.94 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC52/47
3.5.1.2.TheCommissionshouldstrivetoensurethat
achievement ofthecustomsuniondoesnotinvolve
furthershocksfortheCommunity'stextilessector.
However,thismeansbackingTurkey'sdevelopmentof
itssector,particularlyinmarketingitsproduceand
cooperatinginproductionandmarketingtermswith
CentralAsia,theCaucasus,theBalkansandtheMiddle
East.3.5.2.4.Implementation ofthesemeasuresmightnot
resolveallthedifficultiesbetweentheCAPandTurkish
agriculture,butitwouldcertainlycreateaclimate
ofbetterunderstanding andcooperationbeneficialto
completionofthecustomsunion.
3.5.3.Significantheadwayhasbeenmadeinthe
servicessector,particularlyconcerningtheTurkish
bankingsystem—which,however,stilllagsbehindits
counterpartsintheMemberStates.Giventhesector's
strategicimportanceforbotheconomicandcommercial
developmentandsocialprogress,arealeffortmustbe
madeinfavourofharmonization ,withCommunity
support.3.5.2.Communityconcernsoveragriculturerelate
moretothefuture:iftherationalization plansare
successfullycompleted,amajorproductionboom(par­
ticularlyinMediterranean products)couldoccur,with
theconsequentpressuresontheECagriculturalmarket,
alreadysufferingfromover-production .
4.Areasofcooperationbeyondthecustomsunion
4.1.Migrantsandemployment3.5.2.1.Turkishagro-foodstuff productionguaran­
teesself-sufficiency andshouldcontinuetodosoeven
giventhestrongdemographicgrowthandexpansionof
domesticdemand(+5%perannum).Methodsare,
however,out-dated,andinfrastructures andservices
arelacking(seetheInformationReport). Sincesocialdevelopmentisvitaltothecountry'soverall
development ,theconditionsaffectingTurkishmigrants
intheEUcountriescannotbeseensimplyasaquestion
relatingtocustomsunioncompletion .IntheESC's
view,anysolutiontomigration-related problems
alwaysdependsondevelopments intwoareas:equality
oftreatmentandrightsinthehostcountry;andemploy­
menttrendsinthecountryoforigin.3.5.2.2.Ankaramaintainsthatdomesticdemandwill
continuetogrowandthatsurroundingregions(Central
Asia,theBalkans,theCaucasus,otherMediterranean
countriesand,mostimportantly,theMiddleEast)will
provideamplemarketopportunitiesforitsproduce.
4.1.1.Urgentmeasuresshouldbetaken:
3.5.2.3.Aswithcomparableexistingorpotential
problemsinothersectors,theagriculturalissuemust
betackledindifferentways:
—technicalcooperation :supportfortheproduction
renewalprocessviaprojectadvice,trainingof
expertsintermsofCommunityexperienceandCAP
\mechanisms ,jointstudiestodevelopthesector's
structuresandinfrastructures ,etc.;—toprotectTurkishmigrantsfromtheracistattacks
whichtheyhavesufferedandcontinuetosufferin
someEUcountries;
—toconsideraCommunityapproachfacilitating
acquisitionofdualnationality;
—tofacilitateconditionsofnaturalization sothat,
moreespecially,peopleborninagivencountry,or
livingthereforalongtime,mayenjoyalegalclaim
tonaturalization whileretainingthecitizenshipof
theircountryoforigin;
—toensurethatfamiliescanbereunitedintheir
countryofresidenceonthebasisofstandardslaid
downinrelevantEUdirectives;
—toacceleratedetermination ofthedegreeof
implementation (orreasonsfornon-implemen­
tation)ofthe1980decisionsonfreemovement;
—toensurethatmaleandfemaleTurkishworkers
(andtheirfamilymembers)whoaredomiciledin
anEUcountryhaveequal,non-discriminatory
accesstothelabourmarket;thejudgmentsofthe
EuropeanCourtofJusticeonrightofresidenceand—comprehensive projectcooperation :compatibility
andcomplementarity studies;assessmentofthe
opportunitiesforharmonizingproductionmethods;
trainingandinformationforruralpopulations ;
productqualityandupgradingoftypicalregional
products,environmental impactassessmentof
rationalization ,advancedandinnovativeexper­
imentation (biologicalcrops,rareproducts,bio­
fuel),consumereducation (TurkeyandEC),etc.;
—distributionassistance:studyofpotentialmarkets
andpossiblesynergybetweenCommunityand
Turkishexports;considerationofjointpoliciesand
strategiesonglobalmarkets(GATT),etc.

NoC52/48 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 19.2.94
fordelegatesfromTurkishcompanies,including
periodsinECcompanies;
—alsofacilitatingworkers'traininginhealthand
safetyresearchcentres,organizedbythesocialpart­
nersonaEuropeanlevel;
—offeringTurkishresearcherstheopportunityto
workonrelevantCommunityR&Dprogrammes .accesstothelabourmarketmust,inparticular,be
transposedintoEuropeanandnationallaw;
—tosupportthedevelopmentofvocationaltraining
structuresforworkersinTurkey,broadeningaccess
tocertainCommunityprogrammesandcollabor­
ationwithCEDEFOP;
—toencourageTurkish/ECprojectswhich,withinthe
frameworkofthoseprogrammestowhichTurkey
hasaccess(underthenewMediterranean policyand
TACISinparticular),takeaccountoftheneed
tobuilduptheemploymentbaseandvocational
traininginTurkey;
—toextendopportunitiesforyoungTurkishpeopleto
followin-servicetrainingcoursesinECinstitutions .
4.1.2.Urgentthoughtshouldbegiventowaysof4.3.Economicandsocialcohesion
ensuringthat:4.3.1.TheInformationReportreferredtothedif­
feringlevelsofdevelopmentbetweenTurkishregions.
Thenewgovernmenthasconfirmedthatdevelopment
ofbackwardareasishighonitslistofprioritiesand
hasexpresseditsconvictionthatthedevelopmentof
EasternAnatoliainparticularmighthelpsolvecurrent
politicaldifficulties.Thisapproachmeritssupport.The
EChaslongexperience—bothpositiveandnegative—
inthissphere,whichmightusefullybeputatTurkey's
disposal.
4.3.2.Morespecifically,theideaofapartnership
betweentheauthoritiesresponsiblefordevelopment
policyandthesocialpartnersoftherecipientareas,
whichhasemergedfromStructuralFundreform,could
beofinterestintheTurkishcontext(subject,ofcourse,
tocertainessentialadjustments):itisvitalthatlocal
inhabitantsandworkersbeinvolvedifdevelopment is
tobringsocialpeace.—thefreedomofmovementenjoyedbymaleand
femaleTurkishworkers(andtheirfamilies)domi­
ciledintheEUisexpandedinlinewiththeprogress
ofeconomiccooperationandisalignedonthefree­
domofmovementtowhichworkerswhoareciti­
zensoftheUnionareentitled;
—freedomoftravelisintroduced ;
—freedomofmovementisintroducedforyoungwor­
kersfrombothTurkeyandtheEUwithaviewto
undergoingvocationaltrainingunderEUpro­
grammes .
4.4.Culturaldialogue4.2.Environment ,regionalquestions,healthand
safety
Thereismuchtobedoneintheseareas,whichrepresent
amajorproblemforTurkey.4.4.1.LittleisknownaboutTurkeyintheCom­
munitycountries,asidefromafewaspectsarisingfrom
*economic,tradeand,morerecently,touristlinks,and
thepresenceinECcountriesofmanyTurkishmigrants.
4.4.1.1.Thisstateofmutualignoranceoronlyvague
knowledgebetweentwocomplex,multi-facetedentities
suchastheECandTurkeycanleadnotonlytomisun­
derstanding,butevencoolnessandprejudice.Tobe
fair,Turkeyhasputfarmoreeffortintostudyingthe
CommunitythantheECcountrieshavewithregardto
Turkey.
,4.4.1.2.Thefundamental differencebetweenthe
CommunitylanguagesandTurkishdoesnothingto
helpinthisrespect.
4.4.2.IftheEUandTurkeyaretoenjoyamatureand
fruitfulrelationship,astrategyofculturalcooperation
needstobeputintopractice.Thecenturiesofcontact
andconflictbetweenEuropeandtheOttomanEmpire4.2.1.Thefollowingsuggestionsrepresentonlya
fewgeneralapproachestopossiblecooperation :
—encouragingtheAnkaraGovernmenttoconducta
vigorousanti-pollution campaign,especiallyin
urbanandindustrialareas,extractingmaximum
advantage,forexample,fromtheMED-URBSpro­
gramme;
—monitoringtheenvironmental compatibility of
infrastructureprojectsattheimplementation phase;
—steppinguptechnicalcooperationwithaviewto
harmonizingstandards,particularlythosecovering
healthandsafetyattheworkplace;
—providinghealthandsafetytrainingopportunities

19.2.94 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC52/49
and,beyondthat,theHellenisticperiod,provideabun­
dantrawmaterialforsuchcooperation .
4.4.3.Reasonsinfavourofthevigorouspursuitof
culturalcontactsinclude:4.4.6.TheintentionofthepresentTurkishGovern­
menttoliftitsbroadcastingmonopolyandtoprivatize
thesectorentailstheriskthatthedoorsmightbe
openedtoCommunitymediaoperatorsmotivatedby
purelycommercial—ifnotspeculative—criteria.
4.4.6.1.ACommunityinitiativeonthisquestion,
aimedatavoidingthereplacementofaStatecultural
monopolywithaprivateone,couldbeusefulinmaking
theTurkishsideawareofthelimitationsandoppor­
tunitiesofoursystem.
4.5.Theessentialculturalrolewhichwomencan
playinTurkeymustneverbeoverlooked :Turkish
womenenjoysolidguaranteesofequalityasaresultof
theTurkishState'ssecularstatus.Fromthispointof
view,effortsshouldbemadetobuildupcontacts
betweenTurkishandCommunitywomen'sorganiza­
tionstocomparehowlegalequalityhasbeenexpressed,
andinordertofurtherthepracticalapplicationofthis
principleinprofessional,socialandpoliticallife.—Turkey'spivotalculturalpositionwithrespectto
theTurkic-speaking worldofCentralAsia,theCau­
casusandtheBalkans;
—Turkey'scurrentwealthofculturalexperienceand
dynamism,particularlyintheuniversities,whose
autonomytheGovernmenthaspromisedtoexpand
radically;
—theinterestdisplayed—butnotalwaysreciprocated
—byTurkishintellectualsintheCommunity ;
—youngpeople'sexpectationsofandinterestinEuro­
peanculture,demonstrated bythegrowingstudy
ofEuropeanlanguages;
—themutualbenefitofcomparingtheculturalmodels
oftwoentitieswhicharecloselyinvolvedwith
eachotheronnumerouslevels;morespecifically,
Turkey'sIslamicmodel,secularandWestern­
oriented,shouldbehighlightedandsupported(part­
lyasameansofcontainingfundamentalist currents,
whichconstituteadestabilizingfactorinTurkey);
—theneedtosafeguardthearchaeological heritage.4.6.Lastly,theCommitteewelcomestheEC's
decisiontoadoptTurkeyasthethemefor'Europalia
96'.
5.Socio-professional dialogue
5.1.Giventhatmostoftheproposalstostrengthen
EC/Turkeycooperation ,withaviewtothefull
implementation oftheAnkaraAgreement,have
importantsocio-economic implications ,insti­
tutionalization ofthesocio-professional dialogue
referredtoinArticle27oftheCooperationAgreement
isfullyjustified:indeed,itisanurgentnecessity.
5.1.1.Thisshouldbeaccomplished bysettingupa
'JointConsultativeCommittee'withequalrepresen­
tationforbothsides.4.4.4.Inadditiontotheproposalsmadeabove,prin­
cipallyconcernedwithvocationaltrainingandresearch,
opportunitiesforTurkeytojoinEuropeaninter-univer­
sityexchangeschemesshouldbeprovided:aquotaof
Turkishparticipantsmightbeset,forexample.The
samecouldapplytoEuropeanuniversityinstitutions,
Communityeducationalestablishments forforeigners
andthevariouslanguagestudyfacilitiesavailableto
youngpeople.
4.4.4.1.Information onsuchinitiativesshouldbe
widelyavailable,andCommunitystudentsshouldalso
beencouragedtoattendvariouscoursesinTurkey.5.2.InstitutionaldialoguebetweentheESCandthe
Turkishsocialpartnersmight,inparticular,encourage
theTurkishauthoritiestobringforwardtheestablish­
mentofanationalconsultativebody:theESC'sstruc­
tureandexperiencecouldbeausefulexampleinputting
theconsultativefunctiononofficiallineseveninan
individualcountry.
5.2.1.Settingupa'JointConsultativeCommittee'
wouldaboveallcontributetofosteringawarenessand
understanding betweenECandTurkishsocialpartners,
andtoidentifyingopportunitiesofmutualadvantage.
5.2.2.Atthesametime,the'JointConsultativeCom­
mittee'wouldurgentlyneedtomonitorprogress
towardstheCustomsUnionwhich,intheory,should
becompletedinjustovertwoyears.Theaimwould4.4.5.Animportantpointisnotonly,inareasofthe
CommunitywithastrongTurkishpresence,toallow
Turkishchildrentoretainandcherishtheirowncul­
ture,butalsotomakesomeefforttoinformschool­
childrenfromCommunitycountriesaboutTurkey.
4.4.5.1.ItisworthrememberingthatTurkeyisthe
Community'sonlyMediterranean neighbourwhich
possessespopulationlevelsandaneconomicdynamism
comparablewiththoseofthelargerECMemberStates.

NoG52/50 19.2.94 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities
be,frombothsides,tocontributetoandaccelerate
completion,butmostofalltovoicetheviewsofthe
socialforcesontheissuesinvolvedintheCustoms
Union.ologicalapproach,aswellastotheactionwhichthe
CommitteeproposestheCommunityauthoritiestake,
andwhichitintendstotakeitselfinlinewithits
responsibilitytoimplementArticle27oftheAnkara
Agreement .
6.2.Giventhat:5.3.The'JointConsultativeCommittee'mightcon­
sistof15ESCmembersand15representatives ofTurk­
ishsocio-professional bodies(thelatteronaprovisional
basis,pendingtheestablishmentofaTurkishconsulta­
tiveinstitution,assuggestedbytheAssociationCouncil
proposal,forwardedtotheESCforinformationlast
February).
5.4.Frequencyofmeetingsandworkingmethods
wouldhavetobediscussedbythe'JointConsultative
Committee'whendrawingupitsrulesofprocedure.
Duringtheearlystagesatleast,however,theserules
wouldneedtobeflexibleenoughtoallowforthe
greatestpossibleefficacygiventherapidityofevents
concerningthevariousaspectsofcompletingtheCus­
tomsUnion.
5.4.1.TheexperienceoftheEC/EFTAJointCom­
mitteewould,ofcourse,beofgreatvaluewhensetting
uptheEC/TurkeyCommittee .—fromanumberofpointsofview(economic,politi­
cal,culturalandstrategic),Turkeyconstitutesan
essentiallinkbetweenEurope,CentralAsia,the
CaucasusandtheMiddleEast;
—TurkeyisamajorMediterranean country,with
itsownparticularformofeconomicdevelopment ,
whichseveraldecadesagooptedclearlyandration­
allyforEurope;
—existingtradebetweentheCommunityandTurkey
iscontinuingtoexpand,althoughanumberof
imbalancesneedtobecorrected (Turkey'strade
deficitinparticular);
—theDublin,Lisbon,EdinburghandCopenhagen
Europeansummitshaveexplicitlycalleduponthe
CommunitytostrengthencooperationwithTurkey
andtosetupacustomsunionwithit,aswellasto
contributetothedevelopmentandstrengtheningof
democracyinTurkey—essentialaimswithinthe
frameworkofapplicationoftheAssociationAgree­
ment,
theCommitteereiteratestheneed—alreadyvoicedin
theConclusionsoflastJune'sInformationReport—
forafundamentalqualitativeleapforwardinEC/Tur­
keyrelations.5.5.TheTurkishdelegationwouldbeappointedby
theTurkishGovernment ,andtheESCwouldcooperate
withtheAssociationCouncilfortheswiftestpossible
constitutionofastrong,representative Turkish
counterpartontheJointCommittee .
5.5.1.TheESCwouldappointitsdelegationaccord­
ingtoitsowncriteria.Itwouldbeadvisabletoapply
adegreeofflexibilitywithregardtodelegationmem­
bership,soastoensurethepresenceofMemberswith
specificknowledgeoftheissueswhichwould,from
timetotime,ariseatmeetings.6.3.Inordertoattainthetargetofacustomsunion
withinthedeadlinesset:
r5.6.Inprinciple,meetingsshouldalternatebetween
theCommunityandTurkey,andshouldbescheduledto
anticipate,asfaraspossible,discussionsatAssociation
Councilmeetings(toensureaneffectiveconsultative
function).
5.7.Itmightbehelpfultosetupasmallpermanent
liaisongroup(3persidemaximum)topreparethe
groundworkforJointConsultativeCommitteemeet­
ingsbyexchangingletters,documentsetc.6.3.1.rapidprogressmustbemadeindismantling
tariffbarriers,withsimultaneousTurkishalignmenton
thecommoncustomstariff;
6.3.2.allnecessaryback-upmeasuresmustbetaken,
particularlythoselikelytohelptheTurkishauthorities
redressStatefinances;
6.3.3.allnecessaryresources,intermsofinstruments
andadviceaswellasfinancialresources,mustbemade
availablefortechnicalcooperation ;
6.3.4.productioncomplementarity strategiesmust
bedevisedandapplied;
6.3.5.thecurrentand,aboveall,prospectivepoten­
tialofCommunityandTurkishmarketsmustbeasses­6.Conclusions
6.1.TheseConclusionswillnotrepeattheanalyses
orspecificsuggestionsmadeearlieroninthisOpinion,
butreferencewillbemadetothegeneralandmethod­

19.2.94 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC52/51
ofdemocracyinTurkey,therightsoftheKurdish
people,andtheCyprusquestion:Communityauthori­
tiesandinstitutions,workingtogetherwiththeMember
States,shouldencouragetheadoptionofconstructive
attitudesandpeaceful,politicalsolutionsbytheTurk­
ishauthoritiesandsupportthemwithback-upmeasures
wherenecessaryandrequested.
6.6.Foritspart,theCommitteeundertakestotake
attheearliestopportunityallmeasuresrequiredto
achievethesocio-professional dialogueunderArticle27
oftheAnkaraAgreementandasindicatedinpara­
graph5ofthisOpinion.sed,togetherwiththemajoropportunitiesofferedby
marketsborderingTurkey;
6.3.6.EC/Turkishcooperationintheareaoftrans­
Europeaninfrastructureprojectsneedstobestepped
up,inviewoftheirsocialcontentandoverallstrategic
significanceforCentralAsia,theCaucasusandthe
MiddleEast(advancingpeaceandstability,optimum
useandequitabledivisionofresources,promotionof
integrateddevelopment :thisappliesespeciallytowater
andenergynetworks);
6.3.7.R&Dcooperationshouldbeintensified,
boostingTurkishparticipationinCommunityprojects;
6.3.8.two-waycontactinthefieldofstructuralpol­
icy(economicandsocialcohesion)shouldbeestab­
lished,mappingoutpossibleareasofcooperation ;
6.3.9.theopportunitiesprovidedbythenewMedit­
erraneanpolicy(MED-URBS ,MED-INVEST )should
beputtobestuse,inlinewiththeabove-mentioned
objectivesandinitiatives,inadditiontothepossibilities
offeredbytheTacisprogramme .6.7.TheCommitteealsohopesthatrobust,struc­
turedformsofcooperationwillbebuiltupinthe
followingareas:
—developmentanddeploymentofhumanresources
(paragraph4.1oftheOpinion);
—environment ,regionalquestions,healthandsafety
(paragraph4.2);
—culture,researchandthemassmedia(paragraph
4.4andtheMed-Campus ,Med-Avicenna andMed­
Mediaprogrammes);
—developmentinthePalestinianterritoriesfollowing
thesignatureoftherecentpeaceagreement.6.4.Particularattentionshouldbefocusedonpro­
gressinthefollowingspheres:
6.4.1.Inimplementing freedomofmovement,the
followingstepsmustbetaken:
6.4.1.1.anurgentsurveyofthedegreeofapplication
ofAssociationCouncildecisionsonthefreemovement
ofTurkishworkersintheEC,datingbackto1980;
6.4.1.2.urgentdraftingofaproperly-structured
actionplanforthefullimplementation ofthese
decisions;
6.4.1.3.prioritization ,inallcooperationprojectsin
Turkey,ofactivitiescreatingemployment ;
6.4.1.4.encouragement ofcontact,exchangesand
jointtrainingbetweenTurkishandCommunity
workers(inboththeECandTurkey);andencourage­
mentofcontactsandexchangesofworkers'representa­
tivesinfirms,andon-goingconsultationofthesocial
partners.
6.4.1.5.Communitymeasurestocombatracistand
xenophobicthinking,actsandpropaganda .6.8.Itiscrystalclearthattheresourcesplannedand
providedforunderthetermsoftheFourthFinancial
Protocol(initialledinJune1981andagaininJanuary
1989,butneverimplementedonaccountofthelackof
Councilunanimity)mustbereleasedifamore
ambitiousandmutuallyadvantageousrelationshipwith
Turkeyistobeachieved.
6.i8.1.Moreover,theCopenhagensummit'scallto
theCouncil'toensurethatthereisnowaneffective
implementation oftheguidelineslaiddownbythe
EuropeanCouncilinLisbon'cannotbeinterpretedas
anythingotherthanademandforthefinancialpro­
visionstobeimplemented .Itishardlyconceivablethat
anyECsummitinthenearfutureshouldhavetorepeat
suchanexplicitcall.
6.9.TheCommitteetruststhattheactionand
generalcriteriaproposedwillreceivethecareful
attentionoftheCommunityauthoritiesandthe
MemberStates,andthatappropriatedecisionswill
followpromptly.
6.5.TheCommitteewelcomesthedevelopinghigh­
levelpoliticaldialogueandhopesthatthiswillbe
furtherintensified .Thisdialoguecouldhelpresolvea
numberofproblemssuchasthecompleteconsolidation6.9.1.Ifthefrequentlycited'qualitativeleapfor­
ward'inEU/Turkishrelationsisproperlyexecuted,it

NoC52/52 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 19.2.94
will—inadditiontoamplifyingthemutualbenefitsof
Association—provideallthenecessaryelementsforare-examination ,undermoreappropriatecircumstances ,
ofthequestionofTurkey'saccessiontotheEU.
DoneatBrussels,22December1993.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN
APPENDIX I
totheOpinionoftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
ThefollowingMembers,presentorrepresented,votedinfavouroftheOpinion:
Mr/Mrs/Miss:ABEJONRESA,AMATO,ARENA,BAEZA,BAGLIANO ,BARBAGLI ,DameJocelyn
BARROW,BEALE,BELL,BELTRAMI ,BERNABEI ,BERNS,BLESER,BOISSEREE ,BONVICINI ,vanden
BURG,CARROLL,CASSINA,COLOMBO ,DONCK,DUNKEL,d'ELIA,ELSTNER,ENGELEN-KEFER ,
EULEN,FLUM,FORGASICABRERA,FRANDI,FREEMAN ,GERMOZZI ,GEUENICH ,GIACOMELLI ,
GIESECKE ,GIRON,GOTTERO ,GREEN,GROBEN,GUILLAUME ,vonHAUS,HILKENS,HOVGAARD
JAKOBSEN ,JASCHICK ,JENKINS,KAARIS,KARGAARD ,KIELMAN,deKNEGT,LAPPAS,LAUR,
LINSSEN,LIVERANI,LÖW,LYONS,MADDOCKS ,MARGALEFMASIA,MAYAYOBELLO,MEYER­
HORN,MOBBS,MOLINAVALLEJO,MORELAND ,MORIZE,MULLERE.,MUÑIZGUARDADO ,
NIERHAUS ,PASQUALI,dePAULdeBARCHIFONT AINE,PE,PELLARINI ,PETERSEN,PRICOLO,
RAMAEKERS ,REA,ROMOLI,SABORGES,SALA,SAUWENS,SCHMIDT,SCHMITZ,vonSCHWERIN ,
SILVA,SMITH,STECHERNAVARRA ,STOKKERS ,STRAUSS,THYS,WALDACK .
ThefollowingMembers,presentorrepresented,votedagainsttheOpinion:
Mr/Mrs:ANDRADE ,ATAÍDEFERREIRA,BENTOGONÇALVES ,BORDES-PAGES ,BREDIMASAVO­
POULOU,CAVALEIRO BRANDÃO ,CUNHA,DIAPOULIS ,DOUVIS,DRILLEAUD ,FRERICHS,GAFO
FERNANDEZ ,KAZAZIS,KORFIATIS ,LACAMARTIN,MANTOVANI ,PAVLOPOULOS ,PELLETIER
Ch.,PETROPOULOS ,SAITIS,SPYROUDIS ,THEONAS .
ThefollowingMembers,presentorrepresented,abstained:
Mr/Mrs/Miss:ASPINALL ,BROOKES ,BURNEL,VascoCAL,CHEVALIER ,GAUTIER,GHIGONIS ,
KIENLE,LITTLE,MORALES ,MULLERR.,NOORDWAL ,PARDON,PERRIN-PELLETIER ,PROU­
MENS,RANGONIMACHIAVELLI ,SANTOS,SEGUY,SPEIRS,WHITWORTH .

19.2.94 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC52/53
APPENDIX II
totheOpinionoftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
Thefollowingamendments ,whichreceivedatleastonequarterofthevotes,weredefeatedinthecourseof
thedebate:
Paragraph2.1
Deletethephrase:'isbeyondquestion'andreplacewiththefollowing:
'mayberecognizedinpracticeprovidedthatTurkeyacceptsalignmentwiththeCommunitybytakingon
boardthefullrangeofpoliticalvaluesofdemocracy,solidarity,respectforhumanrightsandthepeaceful
settlementofdifferencesaffectingtheCommunitystructureandECpolicy.'
Reasons
Self-explanatory .
Resultofvote
For:30,against:46,abstentions :21.
Paragraph6.8
Replacethephrase'onaccountofthelackofCouncilunanimity'with'onaccountofthejustifiedlackof
Councilunanimity'.
Addthefollowingsentenceattheendofparagraph6.8:
'TheTurkishGovernmentisurgedtotakethenecessarypoliticalstepstohelpensureunanimityatthenext
Council.'
Reasons
ThelackofCouncilunanimityisjustifiedbythepresenceofoccupyingtroopsinCyprusandbythenon­
respectbyTurkeyoftheinternationalobligationsplaceduponitbyinternationalagreementsandEuropean
ParliamentandUNresolutions .
Resultofvote
For:38,against:68,abstentions :18.