Re: The fact often played down or actually seldom mentioned at all in media and elsewhere is that the relative majority of the population in most if not all EU countries is strongly against full Turkish membership.
Throughout Europe, the arguments that surround Turkey's projected accession revolve around a series of issues, ranging from demographic through geographic to political. One commonly raised point is that, if and when it were to join the EU, Turkey would become the EU's most populated member state. Turkey's current population is 71 million, and demographers project it to increase to 80-85 million in the next 20 years. This compares with the largest current EU member state Germany, which has 83 million people today, but whose population is projected to decrease to around 80 million by 2020.
Another argument is rooted in the age-old debate on whether it is possible to establish geographic borders for Europe, and whether Turkey 'fits' within these borders. This is seen by many as a dispute that rests on philosophical and intellectual prejudgements, especially since the Treaty of Rome is widely accepted to aim for the construction of a union of European states based on shared common values.
Perhaps the most sensitive of all arguments centre on the cultural and religious differences. Since the EU identifies itself as a cultural and religious mosaic that recognises and respects diversity, the supporters of Turkey's EU bid believe that, as long as both Turkey and the EU member states maintain this common vision, cultural and religious differences should be irrelevant.
The EU member states' concerns over Turkey's human rights record as well as global and regional security-related issues have also been key factors behind Turkey's prolonged application process.
The future of the divided island of Cyprus has also been a major sticking point. The Council's December 2004 decision entailed a compromise formula on the Cyprus issue, under which the affected sides were expected to work towards a solution to the conflict before the scheduled 3 October 2005 launch of membership talks with Ankara. However, the accession talks will now open with the Cyprus conflict still unresolved.
The results of the referenda on the EU Constitution during the first half of 2005 - especially the No votes in France and the Netherlands - have been detrimental to Turkey's EU bid. Although subsequent research and surveys have failed to prove that enlargement in general, and Turkey's candidancy in particular, were key factors behind the public's rejection of the Constitution, the summer of 2005 still witnessed an increase Europe-wide of scepticism towards Turkey's European prospects.
Positions:
Germany has been a major supporter of Turkey's bid under Chancellor Gerhard Schroder. However, an eventual takeover at the helm by Christian Democrat leader Angela Merkel during the autumn of 2005 may change the country's stance. Merkel has been a vocal opponent of Ankara's EU membership, arguing that "inviting Turkey to become a candidate [...] was a mistake". Meanwhile, Germany remains Turkey's most important economic and commercial partner within the EU. The volume of bilateral trade, worth 14 billion euro annually, has doubled in the past ten years. Nearly 14 per cent of Turkey's exports go to Germany, while 17 per cent of Germany's total exports go to Turkey. There are nearly 1,100 German companies operating in Turkey today, and over three million German tourists visit Turkey each year. There are an estimated 2.5 million Turks living in Germany today, and 600,000 of them have already become German citizens.
Britain, current holder of the EU's rotating Presidency, remains committed to the EU's continued enlargement, and considers it a priority to start membership talks with Ankara on 3 October. However, in view of the recent failed referenda on the EU Constitution and the perceptible mood swing in certain European political circles, it may prove difficult for London to keep up the momentum. Turkey is a significant trading partner of the UK. In 2002, Britain was Turkey's third largest export destination and sixth largest import source. Total bilateral trade for 2002 reached 3.7 billion pounds.
France, along with Austria, has pledged to hold a referendum on Turkey's EU accession, appears to become increasingly sceptical on the issue. While President Chirac has been a vocal albeit luke-warm supporter of Ankara's ambitions, the referendum on the EU Constitution brought to the fore the French public's reservations. In June 2005, Chirac said that the EU should re-examine the planned enlargement, and called for a summit to be held on how the process should be pursued. Paris and Ankara signed an action plan in 1998 which introduced a strategic dimension to Turkish-French relations. French companies are listed as the biggest investors in Turkey, although France ranks only fifth in terms of volume of investment. Turkey exported 2.12 billion US dollars worth of goods to France in 2002 while the value of its imports totalled 1.76 billion US dollars. France ranks as the fourth largest source of tourism for Turkey. Meanwhile, the largely anti-Islamic far right has been making significant advances on the French political scene - against the backdrop of slightly increasing public reluctance to admitting new members to the EU-15 club.
Greece, Turkey's traditional enemy, has by now practically become a cheerleader for Ankara's EU membership. According to Athens, it is better to have Turkey in the club than outside. "We simply believe that if and when [Turkey] joins the European Union it will be obliged to observe these rules and values. This will by itself resolve most of our problems," said former Greek Defence Minister Yannos Papantoniou. The government of Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis continues with this goodwill approach.
Turkey counts as a key ally for the United States, and thus Washington believes that the EU should take in the largely Muslim Mediterranean nation as a full member. For the US, Turkey's EU membership would create a stable role model for the whole Islamic world. [as I showed you, all this is pure crap]
Poland, which joined the EU as a full member on 1 May 2004, has been wary that Turkey, once accepted into the EU club, would draw massive subsidies and would also be way too big a country for the Union to swallow. Nevertheless, Warsaw has also repeatedly expressed full support for Turkey's EU membership bid.
Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has said that the EU remains wedded to its commitments, but at the same time he made it clear that the European public's concerns about Turkey's prospective membership cannot be ignored. The "signals sent by the electorate [should be] discussed seriously", he said. For this end, the Commission has announced its intention to initiate a civil society dialogue across the member states about enlargement in general and Turkey's accession in particular. In 2006, some 40 million euro will be earmarked for this project.
euractiv.com
TOURISM
Belgian tourists preferred to spend their holidays in Turkey in 2003 as they did in 2002, despite atmosphere that stemmed from Iraq crisis.
Association of Belgian Tour Operators (ABTO) said that Turkey was the first option for Belgian tourists to spend holiday in 2002 and also 2003.
According to information of ABTO, about 400,000 Belgian tourists visited Turkey in 2003.[*]
It was observed that Belgian businessmen's interest in Turkey also increased and they also took concrete steps on making investment in the country in 2003.
[...]
turkishpress.com
[*] Turkish immigrants in Belgium amount to about 90,000 people. |
