Frozen conflict between Turkey, Cyprus and Greece. And Europe?

(BRUSSELS2) It is remarkable to see that today the European Union is not more involved in one of the last "frozen" conflicts which concerns one of its Member States, namely the situation in Greece and Cyprus and their respective relations with Turkey. On the status of Cyprus and the reunification of the island, we certainly know that negotiations are underway under the aegis of the UN. And it might be harmful for the EU to play spoilsport. On the other hand, nothing prevents the EU from linking its enlargement negotiations with Turkey with the settlement of the conflict with Cyprus and the latent but persistent tensions with its Greek neighbour. This would undoubtedly allow Greece, which maintains an extraordinary military presence given the size of the country, to be able to breathe and reduce its military effort; a necessity today in the midst of budgetary difficulties.

Recently, I put the question to the Commissioner responsible for Enlargement, Stefan Füle. He kicked into touch believing that ... " you know the chapter CFSP (common foreign and security policy) is not formally open. And this subject is within the competence of the EEAS. On the side of the European Commission, we have an ongoing process aimed at creating a better atmosphere. (On the other subjects), this comes under the competence of the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Common Security Policy, Catherine Ashton who will give you a better answer. That's a bit of a short answer. But at the same time quite symptomatic of the fairly automatic way in which the enlargement process is conducted.

In this matter, shouldn't the "Merkel case law" be applied to Serbia? Namely that as long as the country has not settled its problems with its neighbours, any new process of enlargement is blocked. In any case, a reflection is necessary on the relations between the EU and Turkey and its involvement in the stability of the countries of the region.