GERMANY: Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned Turkey that it faces "appropriate consequences" if it does not open its ports to Greek Cypriot vessels as agreed with the EU as a condition of accession.
The growing crisis with Turkey overshadowed Germany's main EU presidency priority, announced by Dr Merkel yesterday: to convince EU citizens of the need to replicate the success of the common market in foreign, security, energy and environment policy.
"A prerequisite for a trusting and credible negotiating process is that both sides hold to their promises," she said.
If tensions between Brussels and Ankara spill over into next year, it would expose the domestic divisions within Germany's ruling grand coalition government over Turkish accession, a reflection of the divisions within the wider EU.
As chancellor, Dr Merkel is in favour of accession, but as leader of the ruling Christian Democrats (CDU) she is opposed. Her Social Democrat (SPD) coalition partners support Turkish accession, while the CDU's Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU) is the most vocal opponent.
CSU leader Edmund Stoiber called yesterday for the talks to be immediately "put on ice". SPD leader Kurt Beck contradicted Mr Stoiber, warning that such a move would be a "grave error" .
In a major EU policy speech, Dr Merkel said Berlin would push EU states to increase the policy areas where the union speaks with "one voice". "We have to throw our combined weight onto the scales. European countries cannot afford to be only interested in themselves," she said. Germany is anxious for member states to address climate change and complete unfinished "homework" on opening of EU electricity and gas markets.
On common security policy, Dr Merkel said that the EU would have to agree on a policy that would complement Nato missions. "European security and defence policy will only be successful when it is agreed with the transatlantic alliance . . . never directed against the alliance," she said.
Berlin would support EU initiatives to reduce unnecessary regulations that had caused "huge annoyance" across the Continent, such as the Europe-wide regulation on the numbers of sun umbrellas required in beer gardens. She said: "Complaints from a Spanish union about too much sun are only partially shared on the (North Sea) island of Rügen and probably not at all in Ireland."