Turkey's New President

The appointment of the Islamist Abdullah Gul as Turkey’s new President on 28 August marked a significant step in a country which has a proud recent history of adhering to secular principles. The road to the most senior post in the land has not been a smooth one for Mr. Gul – his candidature was confronted with vehement and widespread protest from the country’s military and pro-secular movements in April this year. Yet the forced early elections which ensued saw Mr Gul’s party, the AKP, take an even larger share of the vote, making his re-nomination and subsequent appointment as President near impossible to reject.

While his appointment as President may still prove a somewhat divisive issue in Turkey, what are the implications for the country’s relations with the EU?

The question of Turkey’s EU accession has been (and doubtless will remain) a major subject of debate, yet the fact remains that Turkey has now been an official EU candidate for nearly 3 years, after nearly 50 years of “privileged partnership” and numerous prospects of membership talks which never came to fruition. A major proponent of Turkey’s EU membership in his former role as Foreign Minister, President Gul has reaffirmed Turkey’s commitment to pursuing the accession agenda with Brussels, which will see the country continue to align its legislation, institutions and practices with the acquis communautaire – the EU’s legislative package which must be adopted by all States wishing to join the Union.

While Mr. Gul’s appointment has been welcomed by Commission President José Manuel Barroso as an opportunity for Turkey’s leadership to provide “fresh, immediate and positive impetus to the accession process”, other leaders in Europe will doubtless be using the appointment to reaffirm their objections to allowing the relatively poor Muslim nation of some 70 million to join a bloc which they (and many others) already see as becoming increasingly unmanageable.

Economic ties and foreign direct investment have never been stronger however, while European tourists have been and continue to choose Turkey as an accessible and welcoming holiday destination. These factors, coupled with Turkey’s continued commitment to align its legislation and practices with EU standards, will make it increasingly difficult for those who oppose the country’s accession plans to justify their stance – let alone go back on a promise already made.