Privileged partnership

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The privileged partnership is an open political concept for supranational or intergovernmental relations that is mostly used without a precise definition.

The term (English: privileged partnership , French: partenariat privilégié ) is most often used in connection with Turkey's accession negotiations with the EU , but has also been used in other constellations. Since 2004, the privileged partnership has been proposed by the German CDU , in particular Angela Merkel and Wolfgang Schäuble , as an alternative to Turkey's full membership in the European Union. Legally, it could - comparable to the EEA - be structured as an association according to Art. 217 TFEU . This proposal is vehemently rejected by Turkey.

Current situation of the EU and Turkey

Membership in the European Customs Union was agreed between the EU and Turkey in 1996 .

definition

The Berlin history professor Heinrich August Winkler wanted to introduce the concept of privileged partnership into the political debate in an article in ZEIT in November 2002 as an alternative to Turkey's accession to the EU. By the privileged partnership, Winkler means "a close cooperation that goes far beyond the association and that must include foreign and security policy even more than it is now" (January 2004).

The political scientist Claus Leggewie defined them in 2008 as " levels of integration of regional associations and supranational entities that do not imply full membership, but strong, lasting relationships that stand out from others. "

In the decision of the CDU / CSU in March 2004, the term is outlined as follows: The privileged partnership goes far beyond the European Customs Union entered into between the EU and Turkey ; in this way a free trade area could be created that encompasses all groups of goods . Furthermore, the cooperation could be deepened - in particular to strengthen civil society, environmental protection, to promote small and medium-sized enterprises, in the health and education sectors. In addition, Turkey could be more closely involved in the common foreign and security policy and in the European security and defense policy. Finally, in order to combat terrorism, extremism and organized crime, the cooperation between authorities and institutions in the domestic and judicial areas as well as the secret services could be significantly intensified.

Full membership is rejected by the proponents of a privileged partnership. The limits of the privileged partnership are, for example, that Turkey would not participate in the EU structural funds and in particular the agricultural funds and would not be included in the Schengen Agreement . Likewise, Turkish citizens did not enjoy the general right of residence within the EU.

history

Angela Merkel went on a three-day trip to Turkey in February 2004 to promote her proposal in Turkey. In March 2004 the presidia of the CDU / CSU passed the resolution on the “privileged partnership”. In October 2004 Merkel campaigned for a referendum in Germany on the question of whether Turkey should refuse full membership.

The proposal for a privileged partnership has been widely discussed in France since November 2004 . Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and Nicolas Sarkozy are particularly committed to this. In Austria , among others, Wolfgang Schüssel and the SPÖ are promoting a privileged partnership instead of Turkey's EU membership. The proposal has meanwhile also found support in other EU countries. Parts of the EPP group in the European Parliament are also in favor of the option of a privileged partnership for Turkey.

In the 2005 Bundestag election campaign, the Union used the privileged partnership as an election campaign topic to differentiate itself from red-green.

At the beginning of October 2005, Turkey's accession negotiations with the European Union officially began. "Before that, after several hours of tough negotiations, Austria had given up its demand to set goals other than full membership for the talks," the corresponding press reports said.

Arguments of the German parties

  • SPD and Greens : The majority of the former red-green government coalition was of the opinion that Turkey's admission to the European Union would advance the democratization process in this country and thus serve as a model for other Islamic states on their own path to democracy. The privileged partnership propagated by the opposition at the time had long since become a reality thanks to Turkish NATO membership and various trade agreements.
  • CDU / CSU : According to the Union parties, accepting Turkey into the EU would be a serious mistake. Europe still has to cope with the last major round of enlargement and is therefore still far from ready for a possible membership of the Turks. But Turkey is still much too backward overall to be able to meet European standards. Above all, there is fear of the enormous transfer payments that countries like Germany would have to pay in such a case. Certainly the fact that Turkey could be the most populous country in Europe in the foreseeable future also triggers fears in the conservative camp (migration pressure, redistribution of voting weight within the EU). In addition to the economic aspects, there are also geographical counter-arguments: with Turkey membership, Iraq and Iran would beamong the EU's direct neighbors.
  • FDP : The Liberals are in favor of open-ended accession negotiations, in which, however, alternatives to full membership must be considered and a privileged partnership is also conceivable.
  • Die Linke : In October 2004, the Left spoke out clearly in favor of Turkey's integration into the European Union. She argues that the democratization process and the observance of human rights in Turkey can be achieved much better when it is in the EU. However, the party differentiates itself from the goals of the SPD, which in their eyes would like to use Turkey to set up a "front outpost against Islamic terror". Turkey's task should be to pursue a consistent peace policy. Domestically, the Copenhagen criteria are to be strictly implemented. This includes a political solution to the Kurdish question. The Left Party assumes that Turkey fulfills all requirements. Should she violate conditions during the negotiations, the negotiations should be "suspended or even broken off".

Reactions

The Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan rejected this model in February 2004. In February 2004, the chairman of the Turkish community in Germany, Hakkı Keskin, described the proposal as “great insolence” and “unheard of discrimination”.

Approval for a privileged partnership comes from other conservative parties in Europe (ÖVP in Austria, conservative parties in Poland and France).

A Turkey specialist at Chatham House also fundamentally criticizes the term : The privileged partnership confers neither “ privileges ” nor true “ partnership ”.

See also

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c "Angela Merkel is met with skepticism when visiting: Turkey rejects 'privileged partnership' with the EU" By Christiane Schlötzer in: Süddeutsche Zeitung , Feb. 16, 2004
  2. ^ Heinrich August Winkler : We are expanding to death Die Zeit No. 46, November 7, 2002
  3. ↑ The acid test of Iraq Lars-Broder Keil spoke to Heinrich August Winkler. Die Welt December 24, 2002
  4. ↑ Germany, Europe and the West A day before Heinrich August Winkler, held at the event of the same name in the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung , Berlin, on January 26, 2004 (History Discussion Group ; 54) ISBN 3-89892245-6
  5. ↑ Claus Leggewie: Privileged partnership, less democracy? Turkey and Europe ( Memento of the original from December 1, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. first published in Critique & Humanism 27 (2008) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.eurozine.com
  6. ↑ Decision of the CDU / CSU of March 7, 2004 ( Memento of the original of November 25, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF file; 9 kB) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.cdu.de
  7. ↑ Chapter 4.a. Privileged partnership in: Forms of graduated cooperation between the EU and (still) third countries - From the trade agreement to the EEA Plus (PDF; 152 kB) Scientific Services of the German Bundestag , Department 11, No. 26/06 (May 8, 2006)
  8. ↑ "EU states agree on negotiations with Turkey" , Berliner Zeitung , October 4, 2005
  9. ↑ Turkish community in Germany - privileged partnership is "great impudence"  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Süddeutsche Zeitung February 17, 2004@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.sueddeutsche.de  
  10. ↑ Turkey: Europe's Conservatives for Partnership By Andreas Middel, Die Welt, November 5, 2004
  11. ↑ Partnership Is No Privilege - The Alternative to EU Membership Is No Turkish Delight  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Fadi Hakura, Chatham House September 2005@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.chathamhouse.org.uk