Where is the European Commisssion heading ?

One month ago, the European Commission the core of the European machinery, criticized Turkey for its slowing pace of reforms and for a change in its will to move forward. The recommendations issued at that time were in order to avoid the 'train crash' between the EU and Turkey, meaning a stop of the harmonization process and of the integration of Turkey in the EU.

Under political pressure, the European Commission is now advising that the negociations with Turkey should "slow down" ! Probably, when things are not moving fast enough, everybody is required to use its energy to impose speed limits. That trick is quite unwise but however the negociations will continue with less chapters having the green light to be opened and closed. Furthermore like every six months only one subject of focus will be in the mouths of the paralyzed EU leaders: Turkey (and Cyprus). Their only way to evolve the EU seems to try to force Turkey to make concessions on Cyprus... I think there is clearly no relation between the future of EU and Cyprus. If EU ever cared about Cyprus as something else than a puppet at the hands of Greece, Cyprus would have not entered EU by creating 300 000 outlaws. This Turkish Community of the island are European Citizens labelled as Out Of Control. When you can create such situations and ask others to solve it, there is a limit to reason.

So that is what it comes to, a few political leader have decided to play the Cyprus card against Turkey but this masquerade can easily slips out of hands since Cyprus has a right of veto on EU decisions. Cyprus is for example imposing with its deemed 'veto strategy' that the United Nations stay at distance with the island problems. This is clearly leading to two possible exits: the partition of the island in a Greek and a Turk Republic of Cyprus or the merge of the Turkish Community in the 'Republic Of Cyprus'. When the EU leaders will have played enough with Turkey for electoral gains, they will come back to the world realities and will want to have again closer relations with Turkey may it be for the energy supply lines, for the democratization of Georgia, for coutering the Iran rise in the region, for middle east peace intiitatives, etc. Wether the situation in Cyprus had evolved or not, there will still be a member (a Greek Republic Of Cyprus or any kind of Republic Of Cyprus with a Greek Cypriot majority) that has a hate relation with Turkey. Any decision by the EU on Turkey would be vetoed.

How can the EU fix its mess? There is only one option, wich is to pressure the Greek Cypriots to accept a new version of the Annan plan engaging in the creation of the United Cyprus. What is the best pressure to apply on the Republic Of Cyprus ? There is a main option that is the improvement of socio-economic conditions in the Northern part Of Cyprus (that is officially part of the EU territory). Seeing that their turkish neighbours could live by themselves without their help and without restrictions, will change the look of Greek Cypriots on the Turkish Community. Let's hope the EU will understand where its interest as well as the interest of all the citizens of Cyprus is.