Giscard wil status van "geprivilegieerd partnerschap" voor Turkije (en)

In an opinion article in the Financial Times, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, the chief architect of the European Constitution, has added his voice to those calling for a "privileged partnership" for Turkey, as opposed to full EU membership.

Mr Giscard d'Estaing argues that Turkish entry to the EU would "change the nature of the European project", adding that Ankara would be the "major decision-maker in the EU" due to its large population size.

He also warns that allowing Turkey to join the EU could result in a clutch of other countries clamouring for entry.

"There is already a queue forming to the east and west", says the former French President.

"Morocco would probably be tempted to follow Turkey's example. This could result in a process of permanent enlargement, destabilising the operations of the European system and removing its original rationale".

The comments follow a campaign by the German opposition CDU party to offer a "privileged partnership" to Turkey. French President Jacques Chirac has also mentioned this as a back-up option.

The debate is increasing in intensity as EU leaders prepare to decide whether to open accession negotiations with Turkey at a crucial summit in Brussels on 17 December.

The European Commission has already proposed that negotiations be opened, but EU leaders will be the ones to give the final "yes" or "no" to Ankara.

It is widely expected that leaders will give their assent to negotiations being opened.

The key battleground is over when talks should begin and how long they should last.