Mavi Boncuk |
The EU is
unlikely to agree on giving any accession date to Turkey. But those member
states strongly in favor of Turkey’s EU membership should propose a target
date, for the benefit of all concerned. A tentative date is the most
precious incentive for Turks, who are impatient by temperament but are
stimulated by meaningful perspectives. Turkey has already negotiated a major
agreement with the EU, the customs union, meeting the 1995 deadline. In 2002 at
the Copenhagen European Council, EU leaders gave Turkey a rendezvous of the end
of 2004 to comply with the political criteria for accession. Both deadlines
were met successfully.