Turkey between the gates of Syria and the EU

The European Union has just opened another membership negotiation chapter with Turkey, after a five-year lull in relations as Ankara struggles with serious foreign and domestic problems.

Chapter 17 on Economic and Monetary Policy is one of six chapters that the Turkish government asked to be opened "immediately," in order to put into action a conceptual plan to contain the influx of Syrian refugees to the EU via Turkey. The plan was framed during German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to Turkey on Oct. 18 to talk to Turkish President Tayyip Erdo?an and Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu, following an emergency meeting of EU leaders on the refugee problem. 

Turkey's other three conditions for the implementation of the plan were the granting of visa-free travel to Schengen countries to Turkish citizens by mid-2016 (at the same time as the re-admission agreement), the establishment of a fund for the containment of refugees in Turkey, and the granting of Turkey's representation at EU summits as a "candidate country."

So opening Chapter 17 is only a part of that package. Greek Cyprus has a veto on the remaining five chapters that the Turkish government wanted to be opened before the re-admission agreement. Those five chapters are Chapter 15 on Energy; Chapter 23 on the Judiciary and Fundamental Rights; Chapter 24 on Justice, Freedom and Security; Chapter 26 on Education and Culture; and Chapter 31 on Foreign Security and Defense Policy. There is still no sign whether the EU Commission has convinced the Greek Cypriot government to lift its vetos, but EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has assured Turkish PM Davuto?lu that those chapters will be opened eventually. That is taken in Ankara as no more than a goodwill gesture, knowing that legal...