Copenhagen: The final fall of the Berlin Wall

The European Commission officially proposed at the Copenhagen Summit that 10 of the candidate countries join the EU in 2004, in the largest enlargement to date.

The Copenhagen European Council will thus mark a new milestone in the history of European construction, with the addition of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Hungary and Cyprus as part of that first group of selected countries.

The Copenhagen Summit was held on December 12 and 13 to finalize negotiations for the integration process of the ten candidate countries. The Danish Presidency stated that this fifth enlargement aims to complete the European reunification that began with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

But the consensus needed to approach this optimal goal had to take into account Poland's demands, which were echoed by the Czech Republic, Malta, Hungary, and Latvia, who advocated for flexibility and responsibility in addressing the outstanding agricultural and financial issues. Therefore, the lead-up to the Summit anticipated a complex bilateral debate in what appeared to be the final stage of negotiations.

Cost of the expansion

The cost of the expansion was seen as the main obstacle to reaching an agreement at the Summit. The Danish offer, in line with the standards set by the European partners, proposed a maximum financial margin of €40.500 billion.

This amount was intended to cover the resources needed to finance the accession of the ten countries in the period 2004-2006, the year in which the current budgetary framework will end, and this appeared to be the sum determined to reach a final agreement with the aspiring countries.

Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia were not satisfied and tried to improve the offer, again mainly based on the difficult agricultural and financial issues that the four countries would have to go through with that established margin.

The advance proposed by German Chancellor Schroeder to outline the candidates' demands managed to satisfy both sides, and the figure was finally set at 40.700 billion euros, which includes specific additional items to reinforce nuclear security, strengthen institutions and improve border controls.

Negotiations with Türkiye

For Turkey, the Copenhagen Summit represented the possibility of realizing its European dream. In this regard, many voices argue that Turkey is not even in Europe, but rather in Asia.

EU leaders reaffirmed during the Summit their offer for Turkey to be the first Muslim nation to begin a series of accession talks with the Union, if it meets the criteria in a review scheduled for December 2004.

The date represents a year's delay compared to expectations, despite pressure exerted by Turkish and US officials.

The main reason the EU report did not mention a date for starting negotiations is the deplorable state of human rights in Turkey. While the report highlighted the Turkish Parliament's approval of the abolition of the death penalty and the expansion of Kurdish cultural rights, it also accused Turkish security forces of continuing to use torture. Ankara acknowledges that this remains a problem but maintains that it is taking steps to eliminate it.

Thus, Turkish leaders greeted with disappointment the date set by the European Council for the start of accession negotiations, once it was verified that they met the requirements to become part of it.

This Turkish dissatisfaction had immediate effects on another of the Summit's main issues: the reunification of Cyprus.

The Cyprus "wall"

Cyprus's integration into the European Union will be a reality in May 2004.

However, considering that the Mediterranean island is divided into two communities, the Turkish Cypriot and the Greek Cypriot, it is worth reflecting on the fact that Greece is one of the Fifteen and that Turkey still cannot begin its accession negotiations.

The island was divided in 1974 when Turkey sent troops to protect the Turkish-speaking population following a coup d'état by the Greek majority. This separation among Cypriots has been the source of ongoing tensions that continue today with the island's integration into the EU.

Following the Summit, it was agreed that EU law would apply exclusively in the south, on the Greek side of the island, although the door remains open for the Turkish north. Talks will continue in Cyprus; the EU has set February 28 as the deadline.

The Greek Cypriot press commented after the Copenhagen results that "we have full EU membership and a half-baked solution," while the Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktash, declared that no agreement would be reached without prior negotiation, which for the moment closes the door to the reunification of the country.

The Copenhagen Summit has brought about the largest enlargement in its history by successfully concluding accession negotiations with ten countries from Central and Eastern Europe and the Southern Mediterranean. "Today we have decided to create a great Europe. The new Europe has just been born," said Rasmussen shortly afterward, before the impressive "family photo" of all the Heads of State or Government.