US embassy cable - 02ROME6037

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 006037 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/WE AND EUR/ERA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/18/2012 
TAGS: PREL, TU, CY, TU, CY, IT, EUN, ITPREL, EUN 
SUBJECT: EU COPENHAGEN SUMMIT - GOI CITES PROGRESS ON 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 02        ROME  06037  01 OF 02  181431Z 
TURKEY, ESDP; LOOKS TO ITS PRESIDENCY TO CONTINUE MOMENTUM 
ON ENLARGEMENT, INSTITUTIONAL REFORM; FOCUS ON BALKANS; MED 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: POL MINISTER-COUNSELOR TOM COUNTRYMAN.  REASON:1.5 
(B)(D). 
 
1.  (C)  SUMMARY: ON DECEMBER 17, MFA DIRECTOR GENERAL FOR 
EUROPEAN INTEGRATION ROCCO CANGELOSI TOLD POLITICAL 
MINISTER-COUNSELOR TOM COUNTRYMAN THAT THE GOI WAS, IN 
GENERAL, PLEASED WITH THE RESULTS IN COPENHAGEN.  WHILE 
ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THE DECISION ON TURKEY COULD HAVE BEEN 
MORE POSITIVE, HE FOCUSED ON THE NEED TO KEEP THE PRESSURE ON 
TURKEY TO CONTINUE WITH REFORMS AND BE MORE COOPERATIVE ON 
CYPRUS.  CANGELOSI'S RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE MFA 
PREPARATIONS FOR THE ITALIAN EU PRESIDENCY BEGINNING JULY 
2003, AND HE PROVIDED AN OUTLINE OF GOI PRIORITIES.  FM 
FRATTINI TOLD PARLIAMENT THAT THE LANGUAGE ON TURKEY WAS AN 
"ACCEPTABLE COMPROMISE," PAVING THE WAY FOR TURKISH AGREEMENT 
ON ESDP COOPERATION WITH NATO, AND CONFIRMED THE ITALIAN AND 
GREEK PRESIDENCIES WOULD REFOCUS EU ATTENTION ON BALKAN AND 
MED ISSUES.  FRATTINI SAID THAT THE ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF 
ENLARGEMENT WOULD OUTWEIGH THE COSTS. END SUMMARY 
 
2.  (C)  CANGELOSI EMPHASIZED THE HISTORICAL IMPORT OF THE 
DECISION TAKEN IN COPENHAGEN TO ENLARGE THE EU TO 25 MEMBERS 
ON MAY 1, 2004.  WHILE THE NEW MEMBERS WILL OF COURSE REQUIRE 
AN "INTEGRATION PERIOD," THE PROCESS FOR THE 10 IS 
IRREVERSIBLE AND HE PREDICTED THAT THERE WOULD BE "NO 
SURPRISES" WITH ANY REQUIRED REFERENDA. ENLARGEMENT WILL 
INCREASE STABILITY AND BOOST THE INTERNAL EUROPEAN MARKET; IT 
ALSO MEANS THAT THE EU MUST REFORM ITS INSTITUTIONS.  IT 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 03        ROME  06037  01 OF 02  181431Z 
CANNOT OPERATE AT 25 AS IT DID AT 15.  REFORMS TO INCLUDE 
QUALIFIED MAJORITY VOTING AND AMENDING THE SIX-MONTH ROTATING 
PRESIDENCY WOULD BE NECESSARY, AND IT WILL BE UP TO THE GREEK 
AND ITALIAN PRESIDENCIES TO DO THEIR PART TO PUSH THE REFORMS 
THROUGH.  CANGELOSI DESCRIBED THE REQUIRED REFORMS AS 
EVOLUTION, NOT REVOLUTION; ADJUSTMENTS, NOT DEEP CHANGES. 
 
3.  (C)  IN RESPONSE TO POLMIN'S APPRECIATION FOR THE GOI'S 
STRONG SUPPORT FOR AN ACCESSION DATE FOR TURKEY, CANGELOSI 
ASSERTED THAT IF NOT FOR PMS BERLUSCONI AND BLAIR'S 
INTERVENTION, THE SUMMIT STATEMENT WOULD HAVE BEEN EVEN LESS 
FORWARD-LEANING ON TURKEY'S EU ASPIRATIONS.  TURKEY SHOULD 
LOOK UPON COPENHAGEN AS A VICTORY.  WE MUST NOW KEEP THE 
PRESSURE ON TURKEY TO IMPLEMENT LEGISLATION AND KEEP ITS 
PROMISES ON POLITICAL, ECONOMIC AND HUMAN RIGHTS REFORMS.  HE 
CONCEDED THAT PUBLIC AND PARLIAMENTARY OPINION IN EUROPE, 
INCLUDING IN ITALY, WAS "SKEPTICAL" ON TURKEY, BUT ITS 
INTEGRATION WITH EUROPE COULD DEMONSTRATE TO EUROPEAN AND 
ISLAMIC COUNTRIES ALIKE THAT THERE IS A PLACE FOR A MUSLIM 
NATION IN THE EU. 
 
4. (C) MOVEMENT ON CYPRUS WAS LESS ENCOURAGING, BUT ACCORDING 
TO CANGELOSI THE TURKISH CYPRIOTS WERE ANGRY AND FRUSTRATED 
WITH DENKTASH FOR NOT MAKING PROGRESS IN COPENHAGEN.  THEY 
REALIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE EU TO THEIR OWN ECONOMIC 
INTERESTS, AND WILL HOPEFULLY PRESSURE DENKTASH TO BE MORE 
COOPERATIVE.  FURTHER, HE CONTINUED, TURKEY WILL NOT ALLOW 
THE PROCESS TO MOVE BACKWARD. 
 
5.  (C)  THE GOI IS PLEASED WITH THE PROGRESS ON 
ESDI/BERLIN-PLUS IN COPENHAGEN, SAID CANGELOSI, AND LOOKS 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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FORWARD TO THE FIRST TEST OF THE EUROPEAN DEFENSE CAPABILITY 
IN MACEDONIA IN TASK FORCE FOX FOLLOW-ON AS EARLY AS SPRING 
2003.  THESE DEVELOPMENTS WOULD ALLOW EUROPE TO TAKE MORE 
DIRECT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE BALKANS.  HE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT 
MORE WORK WAS NEEDED ON THE DETAILS OF THE RELATIONSHIP 
BETWEEN NATO AND ESDP TO AVOID DUPLICATION, AND EUROPE MUST 
INCREASE DEFENSE SPENDING. 
 
6.  (C)  CANGELOSI WAS PLEASED THAT THE COPENHAGEN 
CONCLUSIONS HIGHLIGHTED THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTINUED PROGRESS 
AND EU ENGAGEMENT IN THE BALKANS, AND NOTED THAT BOTH THE 
GREEK AND ITALIAN PRESIDENCIES WOULD MAKE BALKAN (ZAGREB 
PROCESS) AND MEDITERRANEAN (BARCELONA PROCESS) REGIONAL 
STABILIZATION PRIORITIES IN THEIR RESPECTIVE PRESIDENCIES. 
OTHER ITALIAN PRESIDENCY PRIORITIES WILL INCLUDE: 
 
- THE INTER GOVERNMENTAL CONFERENCE AND SIGNING THE 
"CONSTITUTION" DURING THE ITALIAN PRESIDENCY, WHICH WOULD 
AVOID AN "INSTITUTIONAL BOTTLENECK" IN 2004, WHEN THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS, ENLARGEMENT, AND COMMISSION 
SELECTION WOULD ALL OCCUR (SEPTEL REPORTS ON FRATTINI'S AND 
DEP PM FINI'S REMARKS ON CONVENTION PROGRESS); 
 
-  FINAL ENLARGEMENT ARRANGEMENTS; 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ8647 
 
PAGE 01        ROME  06037  02 OF 02  181431Z 
ACTION EUR-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   NP-00    AID-00   CIAE-00  COME-00  DINT-00  DODE-00 
      DOEE-00  PERC-00  SRPP-00  DS-00    EAP-00   EB-00    E-00 
      FBIE-00  VC-00    H-01     TEDE-00  INR-00   IO-00    LAB-01 
      L-00     VCE-00   AC-01    NSAE-00  NSCE-00  NSF-01   OES-00 
      OIC-02   OMB-01   DHS-00   PA-00    PM-00    PRS-00   ACE-00 
      P-00     SCT-00   SP-00    SSO-00   SS-00    TRSE-00  T-00 
      USIE-00  EPAE-00  PMB-00   DSCC-00  PRM-00   DRL-02   G-00 
      NFAT-00  SAS-00     /009W 
                  ------------------19A392  181432Z /38 
P 181424Z DEC 02 
FM AMEMBASSY ROME 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7374 
INFO EU CANDIDATE STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY 
EU INTEREST COLLECTIVE PRIORITY 
EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY 
AMCONSUL FLORENCE PRIORITY 
AMCONSUL MILAN PRIORITY 
AMCONSUL NAPLES PRIORITY 
USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY 3017 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 ROME 006037 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/WE AND EUR/ERA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/18/2012 
TAGS: PREL, EUN, TU, CY, IT 
SUBJECT: EU COPENHAGEN SUMMIT - GOI CITES PROGRESS ON 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 02        ROME  06037  02 OF 02  181431Z 
TURKEY, ESDP; LOOKS TO ITS PRESIDENCY TO CONTINUE MOMENTUM 
ON ENLARGEMENT, INSTITUTIONAL REFORM; FOCUS ON BALKANS; MED 
 
-  RESTART OF THE LISBON PROCESS (ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS); 
 
- JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS, ESPECIALLY IMMIGRATION. 
 
7.  (U)  LATER IN THE DAY, FM FRATTINI GAVE HIS VIEWS ON 
COPENHAGEN RESULTS TO PARLIAMENT.  HE CHARACTERIZED THE 
LANGUAGE ON TURKEY AS AN "ACCEPTABLE COMPROMISE" AND SAID 
THAT IF TURKEY CONTINUES TO PROGRESS ON REFORMS, IT SHOULD 
BEGIN NEGOTIATIONS "WITHOUT DELAY" AFTER THE DECEMBER 2004 
REVIEW.  THE COMPROMISE ENGENDERED PROGRESS ON BERLIN-PLUS, 
PAVING THE WAY FOR ESDP MILITARY DEPLOYMENT IN MACEDONIA POST 
TASK FORCE FOX.  HE CONFIRMED THAT THE GREEK AND ITALIAN 
PRESIDENCIES WILL "REBALANCE" THE EU'S ATTENTION TOWARDS THE 
BALKANS AND MED. 
 
8.  (U)  FRATTINI TOLD THE PARLIAMENT THAT THE BENEFITS FROM 
ENLARGEMENT -- WIDER MARKETS, INCREASED INVESTMENTS -- WILL 
BE GREATER THAN THE COSTS (APPROXIMATELY 40 BILLION EUROS). 
HE ADDED THAT ITALY HAD OBTAINED A "GUARANTEE" THAT 
STRUCTURAL FUNDS WOULD NOT BE REDUCED, AND WOULD BE INVOLVED 
IN NEGOTIATIONS IN BRUSSELS TO PREVENT THEIR BEING CURTAILED. 
 FRATTINI MADE THESE REMARKS WITHOUT ELABORATION.  POST WILL 
FOLLOW UP WITH APPROPRIATE INTERLOCUTORS FOR FURTHER DETAILS. 
SEMBLER 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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 2002ROME06037 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL