Interview: Turkey's reform process more important than EU accession[fr][de] 

Yalçintas urged his government to speed up the process, saying: "Reforms do not mean we are doing them to become more European. No. We are doing them for the benefit of our own country. Not for anyone else."

He further compared the negotiation process with the Greek myth of a young man traveling in search of a mythical city called Ithaca. In the end, after a year-long journey, it turned out not to be the dream city he had hoped for, but he realised that what he had gone through during the journey was more important. "We [the Turks] are going to Ithaca. But for us, Ithaca is the journey." 

He said the EU tends to neglect the benefits Turkey could bring to the EU. Turkey is the 17th largest economy in the world, with a gross per capita yearly income of around $10,000 and a population of 70 million people. 

From an economic perspective, Turkey is already an EU member in practice, Yalçintas pointed out. Indeed, Turkey is not only a member of the European Customs Union, but is already doing 55% of its foreign trade with the EU and receiving most of the $20 billion of the foreign direct investment (FDI) rom EU countries. 

Moreover, Turkey is also a crucial gateway for energy at a time when the EU is seeking to diversify its supply sources, the businessman said. "If you want to transport energy safely and efficiently, Turkey is a real prerequisite." In this regard, Turkish accession could provide the EU with "a very big strategic leap". 

Basically, it is up to the EU to decide how it sees itself in the future, Yalçintas said. If it wants to remain a regional, inward-looking power, it has to leave Turkey out. "But if Europe prefers to be a world power then they have to take Turkey." 

Asked whether the EU Presidency of the Turkey-critical France might have a negative impact on the accession talks, Yalçintas replied: "Of course Presidencies […] have a certain effect […] But this effect cannot change the direction of the EU or of Turkey. Presidencies may make things go faster or slower and make minor changes, but the direction remains the same. 

On the French proposal for the Union for the Mediterranean, which will be officially launched at a summit in Paris on 13 July, he said the important thing is how it will be constructed. "If you formulate the mechanism in a way that will keep third countries or EU accession candidates out, then it won't work. But if you formulate it in a way that will enable countries to work hand in hand and unite the northern and southern shores of the Mediterranean, then it is perfect." 

Turkey was very critical of the project in the beginning as it feared that the French were trying to sell it to Turkey as alternative to EU membership. But it appears that these concerns may be allayed by France and the Commission, as Turkish media reported on Wednesday (9 July) that the country's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had signalled his intention to attend the Paris Summit. 

To read the interview in full, please click here.