EU cannot ignore public fears on Turkey - lawmaker

BRUSSELS, May 9 (Reuters) The European Union must take into account the views of its citizens in any future decision on Turkish membership of the bloc even if Ankara meets all the official criteria to join, a top EU lawmaker today said.

Hans-Gert Poettering, a long-time sceptic on Turkey's accession chances and the head of the largest political group in the European Parliament, said Turkey would get a big thumbs-down across Europe if national referendums on entry were held now.

''There is a large majority (in the EU) against Turkish membership and we have to take this seriously,'' Poettering, leader of the conservative European People's Party and European Democrats (EPP-ED), told Reuters in an interview.

''We cannot automatically say now, even if Turkey fulfils all the criteria set down, the result will be Turkish membership.'' The EPP-ED is Europe's most powerful political family, including the government parties of France and Germany. Poettering is also favourite to succeed Spanish socialist Josep Borrell as President of the European Parliament in January.

Legally, the European Parliament must give its assent to any state joining the bloc, but it has never sought to veto the accession of any country in past enlargement rounds.

EU leaders gave the green light last year for accession talks to begin formally with Ankara, but negotiations are seen taking a decade or more to conclude.

Moreover the talks are open-ended, a fact which Poettering and other sceptics argue allows them to conclude with an offer of something less than membership for Turkey -- a result which Ankara would find hard to swallow.

''Thanks to the EPP, the mandate for the negotiations says that if membership cannot be reached for whatever reason, there must be different form of cooperation,'' Poettering said.

''I think we have to think more seriously on this basis and what a possible alternative could be. The alternative must always be part of the thinking.'' While Chancellor Angela Merkel herself has kept her options open on Turkey, many leading German conservatives favour a ''privileged partnership'' with Turkey offering substantial co-operation and close ties but not actual membership.

The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, is mulling whether to allow Bulgaria and Romania to join the EU in 2007 or delay their entry by a year. An EU source said the decision, originally due next week, could be delayed by several months.

Poettering said the majority of people in the EU were frightened of further enlargement and cast doubt in particular over the long-term entry aspirations of the countries which emerged from the former Yugoslavia.

''The people are frightened, frightened that Europe becomes too big, that everything overstretches itself,'' he said.

''Romania and Bulgaria will be okay, but Turkey or Croatia or the other Balkan states remain a doubt.'' REUTERS OM PM1636