Foreign Policy Vision

The EU wants a common foreign policy, something that many are opposed on the grounds of national sovereignty. It’s just as easy to oppose on the grounds of incompetence. The results of this lack of talent are becoming clear over the Cyprus issue.

Cyprus threatened on Wednesday to block Turkey's accession talks to the European Union if it is not satisfied with an EU response to Turkey's refusal to recognize Nicosia.

Now it’s very simple to empathise with both the Turkish and the Cypriot positions here. From Nicosia, it seems ridiculous that talks could start with a country that doesn’t recognise its, a full member state, existence. From Ankara, it seems that Nicosia has been given all the picture cards in the poker game, after being accepted into the EU, despite rejecting the Annan Plan. What the EU has done is hand Cyprus all the power it could ever wish for by not insisting that the island be reunited prior to accession. Why? Because otherwise Greece would have veto the expansion in Eastern Europe. Now Nicosia is threatening to use that power and in return, the Turks have become stubborn. They persuaded their side in the North of Cyprus to vote yes. Their reward? Zilch. So who is happy over the EU’s mastery of the great game? No-one that I can think of.