Smart diplomacy, citizen-oriented foreign policy, and a new model proposal to conduct the EU negotiation process
Ms. Sevinc reveals elements of the EU negotiation management model of a progressive government in her article.
“Although public support for the EU membership in Turkey has pursued a volatile course influenced by many factors throughout the years, there is still significant support of the Turkish people for the membership. According to the comprehensive survey released by IKV in last January, we see 78.9% support of the EU membership target.”
She states that EU membership is a realistic goal that can be achieved through the implementation of deep vision, the recruitment of able staff and the successful allocation of available resources.
She continues to elaborate on the aforementioned vision in light of the negotiation management model; also, the characteristics of an ideal EU Chief Negotiator and EU Affairs Minister are touched upon, and the way to conduct the EU negotiations process is duly described in detail.
Sevinc suggests that Turkey has two main questions that it needs to answer: Should we become an EU member? If yes, why and how?
A new model proposal to conduct EU negotiation process
The European Union is a center of attraction that has adopted the highest common standards of contemporary civilization, has developed a single market, is followed by a monetary union and a common foreign policy as well as a security policy.
If Turkey would remain outside the union, it would be left without the right to speak on the EU’s future, policies and actions. Though, consequently, if Turkey is to become an EU member, that would mean standing under the umbrella of the EU’s decision making and actions resulting in a great loss for the country’s national interests. Additionally, It should not be ignored that both sides would benefit from Turkey’s membership to the EU.
The EU enlarges only when the negotiating parties mutually agree that a reasonable win-win situation is realized. The EU’s enlargement to Turkey can be achieved if both sides assess with rationality the gains to be had from these negotiations.
So what about the negotiation model?
EU negotiations are a process that can be carried out through stakeholder reconciliation and social mobilization.
However, the AKP deformed the EU reform process. Erdogan has utilized the EU legislations on domestic politics agenda and has been leveraging partisan goals for last 13 years.
For progress to be made, this ambivalence needs to cease. New and required reforms need to be made rapidly, as well as necessary legislative changes to open all membership negotiation chapters that can put an end to the delays in the negotiation process.
Moreover, opening negotiation chapters will only be the first step towards an appropriate framework for Turkey’s transformation process.
The next question is choosing the right EU Chief Negotiator and EU Minister
It is a matter of being in a conciliatory role of the politicians who come to the forefront in the field of EU politics. It is important to stay away from the harsh rhetoric of domestic politics and partisanship.
Even if she/he is a party member, he/she must run the country’s EU affairs with her/his broad knowledge, experience and accumulation and be someone who will execute this process in a non-partisan way. The negotiator should have a positive reputation within the EU and European politics circles, particularly with her/his awareness of the EU policy making processes and also be well known in Brussels circles.
How to execute the negotiations?
The EU process should be governed by political and social consensus. Turkey should have established a “national committee” in the first place with the authority to handle and execute the process immediately after 3rd October 2005 (Turkey and Croatia officially started EU membership negotiations), as Croatia did.
Croatia established this “National Committee” in March 2005 by amending its constitution.
From academicians to bureaucrats, from politicians to civil society representatives, they formed a broad-based board and the EU Chief Negotiator/ Minister was the permanent member of this board.
Every piece of information about the EU process was assessed and discussed by this board before it was introduced to the parliament. The chairman of the council was always appointed by a politician from the opposition parties. First, a social-democratic from the opposition parties followed by a liberal. Eventually, Croatia, which started negotiations on the same day as Turkey, was admitted as the 28th member of the EU 13 years ago.
Imagine an EU accession country which is ruled by a democratic, progressive government determined to achieve these breakthroughs.
A negotiation board that will carry out all its agendas with transparency and accountability; citizens are be able to ask questions and contribute to the decision making process regarding the works and reforms in the legislative process through a mobile application downloadable free on the iOS App Store or Google Play Store.
Here, the technical and complex issues of the membership achievement process would be null, and this way it could be easily get the participation of the majority of the public.
The foreign policy which meets technology for social participation will bring “Smart Diplomacy or Diplomacy 4.0” to life.
Furthermore, in the citizens’ forums to be formed, various EU topics will be discussed with experts and politicians, and a live portal will be created for them for a proper discussion to be had in realtime thus also serving to quell any uncertainty to be had in the public. Experts, diplomats and politicians will also use the citizen feedback in the EU negotiation process.
In consultation with the EU Chief Negotiator and Minister, network structures should be formed consisting of leading individuals and civic organizations domestically and abroad.
Turkey’s pro-active, and dynamic international political and diplomatic power should be fueled by its determination to achieve the highest democratic and socio-economic standards.
The use of “mobile diplomats” may be conducted through this network with the aim of achieving EU membership; this is a common practice implemented by a number of developed countries.
Turkey’s image in Europe may be altered for the better by implementing such a comprehensive transformational program for its EU accession negotiations.
For more info about Democracy 4.0:
PS. Ms. Kader Sevinc’s advocacy of Turkey’s EU accession has been reiterated numerous times in both national and foreign media through various dimensions, consequently gaining her work the interests of a wide range of social media users.
CHP EU Representation
CHP EU Representation - Brussels 