Ankara Protocol

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The Ankara Protocol is the second additional protocol from 2005 to the Association Agreement between Turkey and the then EEC , the so-called Ankara Agreement of 1963.

The additional protocol was a condition of the European Union (EU) for the start of accession negotiations between Turkey and the European Union . It regulates the expansion of the EU's customs union with Turkey, which has existed since 1996, to include the ten new members who joined the EU in May 2004, including the Republic of Cyprus, which is not recognized by Turkey . Under international law, the entire island is a member of the EU, but the government of the Republic of Cyprus only controls the Greek southern part of the island, not the northern part, which has been occupied by the Turks since 1974.

The protocol was signed by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on July 29, 2005 , but has not yet been ratified by parliament ; therefore it has not yet entered into force. In addition, when the protocol was signed, Turkey made a declaration ( reservation ), according to which the signing did not imply recognition of Cyprus under international law. The EU then declared on September 22, 2005 that this Turkish declaration was not legally binding.

So far, Turkey has refused to open its seaports and airports to goods from the Republic of Cyprus . The reason given is that the EU for its part - contrary to promises made in 2004 - is isolating the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus , which is only recognized internationally by Bangladesh and Turkey, through its trade embargo . Ratification would also mean de facto recognition of the Republic of Cyprus by Turkey.

Since September, the EU has held out the prospect of suspending accession negotiations if the Ankara Protocol is not ratified by the end of 2006 in due time. At the EU summit in December 2006, the European Council decided to temporarily suspend eight negotiation chapters. According to press reports, the Finnish EU Council Presidency at the time suggested opening a seaport and an airport on the Turkish part of the island to international trade as a first step as part of a multi-step package solution, in order to make it easier for the Turkish government to enforce a domestic political ratification. Critics of this solution fear that it would de facto recognize Northern Cyprus.

The Republic of Cyprus has already threatened a veto if Turkey in return does not open all ports, but also only one port in Northern Cyprus for goods from the Republic of Cyprus. De facto, the accession negotiations can be blocked by any of the 28 EU states with such a veto.

Despite the suspension decision of the European Council in December 2006, Turkey has not yet implemented the additional protocol.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Declaration by the European Community and its Member States (PDF; 104 kB) September 22, 2005
  2. ↑ Report of the EU Commission on the progress made by Turkey in preparing for EU membership of November 6, 2007, p. 27 ( Memento of October 25, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 456 kB)

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