Most German newspapers went to bed Thursday night before the official announcement was made in Brussels that Turkey would in fact be given the greenlight for membership negotiations. Nevertheless, the debate over Ankara continued in the German press -- only this time the question is whether it should be granted EU membership once it completes negotiations. After days of running editorials on the German "Leitkultur" and conflicts of civilizations, Germany's big papers on Friday feature editorials that champion Turkey's EU membership.

"Everyone knows that Turkey isn't just going to come to Europe on a flying carpet, but rather through a long and arduous way," writes the left-leaning Sueddeutsche Zeitung's Heribert Prantl. "And everyone knows it would be a catastrophe if Turkey were to again reverse its course after following the long trail to the west and depart from its path to becoming a constitutional state and enlightened democracy." He notes that one of the greatest developments this week was the "spectacular failure" of conservative opposition leader Angela Merkel's proposal to make Ankara a "privileged partner" rather than a full-fledged EU member. "Merkel was never able to explain exactly what it was supposed to be. As is already known, there is an association and customs union with Turkey -- it doesn't get any more privileged than that." Alienating Turkey using historical and cultural arguments, Prantl cautions, could have a terrible side-effect on Germany, since it would "shut out Turks living in Germany from moving toward the mainstream." Instead, Europe should embrace both its Turks and Turkey.

The head of the Federation of German Wholesale and Trade, Anton Börner, makes an argument in favor of Ankara in the rightist Die Welt on the basis of its reform and economic successes. "Turkey has developed a market economy, it has an independent central bank, it has a banking regulator and hyperinflation has been stopped. Through its association with Europe, it's learned a lot, and the quality of Turkish products and its familiarity with EU regulations have dramatically increased the competitiveness of the Turkish economy," he notes. That's all important because Europe may eventually need Turkey. "The competition in markets, capital and labor between Europe, the USA and Asia will massively increase. In this regard, and in addition to demographic factors, Turkey offers both political and economic advantages as a location for business."

An American writing in the business daily Handelsblatt makes the final pro-Ankara argument du jour. UC Berkeley professor Barry Eichengreen sees in Turkish EU membership an opportunity for Europe that America lost in Iraq. "If the Europeans can unite on Turkey, it would help the country create a stable democracy and blooming economy in the Middle East. America is learning right now that you can't force this on people using guns. If Europe accepts Turkey, it will show the Islamic world that it is possible to become a partner" through reforms. In the "age of fundamentalism," embedding Turkey into Europe's democratic tradition is the best tool to stop these developments. "It would also prove to other Middle Eastern countries: Look here, democracy and religion can get along just fine."

Also dominating the editorial pages on Friday is chatter about US President George W. Bush's planned visit to Germany in February. The president hasn't been here since Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder pissed him off in 2002 by making his opposition to the Iraq war the unofficial main platform of his re-election campaign. Have they already buried the hatchet? Will they finally bury the hatchet? Probably not, but it could be a good show anyway!

Under the headline "One for the Photo Album," the left-leaning Die Tageszeitung cautions that expectations should be managed. "Bush has made it clear that his offer of 'improved cooperation' means Europe has to do so under his conditions and by conforming to his policies," the paper writes. "The meeting will, therefore, not contribute to an improvement in relations."

Die Welt concurs, but for a different reason: Petulant Berlin, it argues, isn't willing to patch up ties. "For some time now Washington and Berlin have been making efforts to overcome the rift Schroeder unnecessarily caused before the Iraq war." The paper says Bush's visit will be an opportunity that "will not present itself so quickly again." Germany needs help from the US in the war against terrorism and it certainly can't win a seat on the UN Security Council without its nod of approval. "To get that, the government has to meet Bush at the halfway point in some areas." Good thing for Germany that the president has lower expectations now than in the past. But therein lies the rub: "The German-US friendship has shrunken to a partnership of interests -- and not to Germany's advantage."