Turkey’s European Dream Starts with the Turkish Language

Political Support Grows for the Turkish Language

In March the European Parliament High Level Contact Group for Northern Cyprus visited the island. During this visit the German MEP Cem Özdemir said that one of the issues to be discussed is the status of the Turkish language within the EU. In June 2006 the Contact Group is expected to report upon this.

Some weeks after this visit the French MEP Francis Wurtz stated that the political group he chairs - the GUE/NGL - will support a proposal to make the Turkish language an official EU language; even before Turkey’s accession to the European Union.

And recently the Greek Cypriot MEP Ioannis Kasoulides added that Greek Cypriots also support such proposal. This is a significant political signal. Not only because Turkey and Cyprus have been at bad terms for decades, but also because the Turkish language’s position in Cyprus determines its status within the European Union.

Turkish Cypriots are EU Citizens

As a consequence of Cyprus’ EU membership al citizens of the Republic of Cyprus are also citizens of the European Union. This applies both to the Greek Community and the Turkish Community of Cyprus. These two communities are defined in the Cypriote Constitution. The Turkish Community comprises among others all citizens of the Republic of Cyprus who are of Turkish origin and whose mother tongue is Turkish.

The Turkish Language is One of the Official Languages of Cyprus

The Cypriot Constitution states that Greek and Turkish are the Republic’s official languages. Legislative acts and government documents have to be drawn up and published in both official languages. Greeks and Turks must be addressed by the Cypriot government in the Greek or the Turkish language respectively. Conversely, Greeks and Turks may address the government in either of the two official languages.

The language in which judicial proceedings are to be conducted also depends on the Community the parties belong to. If at least one of the parties belong to the Turkish Community the Turkish language has to be used by the Court concerned. Cyprus’ language diversity also manifests itself on, among others, Cypriote coins, banknotes and stamps. In short: for Turkish Cypriots the Turkish language is their official language.

The Turkish Language is Not an Official EU Language

Based on the foregoing one would expect that the European Treaties would also have been drawn up in the Turkish language. After all, these treaties have been drawn up in the official languages of the Member States. Both the EC Treaty and the EU Treaty include a list of the languages in which they are authentic. The Turkish language is not on this list.

The same goes for the Decision of the Council of the European Union stating the official languages and working languages of the European institutions. Consequently, some European citizens - the Turkish Cypriots - are deprived of the possibility of using their own official language in their relations with the European institutions. This is contrary to the Council of the EU’s efforts “to bring the EU closer to all its citizens”.

The so called Annan Plan for Cyprus to reunite North and South Cyprus addressed this issue explicitly. Under this plan, named after the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Turkish language would have been an official language and a working language of the European institutions. Since a majority of the Greek Cypriots did not support the Annan Plan, the island is still divided and the Turkish language is still not recognised as an official EU language.

The Turkish Language Possibly a Semi-Official EU Language

In June 2005 the European ministers of foreign affairs adopted conclusions that may give Turkish a more or less ‘official’ status within the European Union. The General Affairs and External Relations Council of the European Union decided that languages other than the official languages may be used by the Council of the European Union or other European institutions, provided such is authorised on the basis of administrative arrangements concluded between the institutions and Member States concerned.

The Council’s decision followed a proposal by the Spanish minister of foreign affairs Miguel Ángel Moratinos. The Cabinet of Prime Minister Zapatero intends to give the Catalan and Basque languages a more official status within the EU.

Such semi-official status as European language is only possible in case of languages whose status is recognised by the Constitution of a Member State or the use of which as a national language is authorised by law. Similar criteria may be found in the European Constitution, which is not yet ratified. In Cyprus, the Turkish language complies with the criteria mentioned.

Concluding Remarks

The European Treaties should have been drawn up also in the Turkish language since it is one of the official languages of the Republic of Cyprus. The latter could still initiate a Treaty amendment procedure. Given the political tensions between Cyprus and Turkey over the northern part of the island, it would be a sign of a lack of political realism to expect such initiative shortly.

What is more feasible is that the Cypriot government would propose to give the Turkish language a semi-official status. By way of which Turkish Cypriots would be in a position to contact European institutions in their own official language.

If it comes to this, the consequences may be far-reaching.

Making use of the Cypriot translating facilities, members of the European Parliament of other Member States, might also address the EP in the Turkish language.

Furthermore, there are about four million Turks in among others Greece, Bulgaria, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. Pursuant to the principle of equality they might ‘demand’ from their respective governments that administrative arrangements are concluded with the European institutions in order to allow them to use the Turkish language in their relations with the European institutions.

The afore-mentioned would do justice to the Turkish language’s constitutional status in Cyprus and enriches, in the Council’s words, “the European Union’s linguistic diversity”.

Copyright © Atilla Arda, 2006