Debates on Turkey's accession to EU: CFSP/ESDP

Seminar paper from the year 2009 in the subject Politics - Topic: European Union, grade: A-, University of Basel (Europainstitut), language: English, abstract: Authors have proved hypothesis: Turkey¿s military capabilities, experience in NATO and

international peace keeping operations and missions could rather strengthen than weaken

ESDP position. However, there are some weaknesses that Turkey faces (focus on ¿hard¿

rather than ¿soft¿ power, military is in the process of modernizing, underestimated role in

peace keeping operations), Turkey¿s contribution to ESDP is too significant (strong

involvement in the missions) and will give more benefits than costs. Furthermore, Turkish

accession to the EU would transform strategic challenges of ESDP.51

Only five of twenty ESDP peace keeping operations have been of a military nature, which

mostly has been held by NATO or UN. ¿When it comes to much bigger military issues, the

EU avoids taking strategic responsibility and still depends on the NATO to do its ¿dirty

work¿¿52. Therefore military stronger EU would give NATO and UN credit that EU is also

responsible in the field of crisis management. Such win-win situation would exempt US

Secretary¿s of State Madeleine Albright¿s the ¿3 D¿s¿: 1) decoupling of ESDP from NATO,

2) duplication of capabilities, 3) discrimination of non-EU NATO members.53 Turkey would

also play role of agent between EU and NATO and ¿parties involved will benefit from threelevel

game¿54 (EU-Turkey-NATO). Therefore it is advantageous and beneficial not only for

Turkey, but also for the EU and the NATO as well.55

Finally, last week Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn once more showed that EU would

not allow Turkey 'cruise control' on accession.56 Therefore Turkey-EU relations should

balance the contributions and benefits of such partnership and show that both partners can be

producers and consumers of security and experience of defence. Such dialogue will prove that

EU can play an important role in CFSP/ESDP dimension also in the future.