EU-Turkey Long Lasting Relations
By Lili Deyanova
University of Bon - Germany
Is Turkey seeking a marriage of convenience or of love with the EU?
Berlusconi (Former Italian Prime Minister)
A Catholic marriage – one that lasts forever…
Erdoğan (Turkish Prime Minister)
The EU-Turkey relationship and the future Turkish membership is probably one of the most debated topics in the Union. People associate it with different fears, personal or more immediate ones connected with job loss, terrorism as well as other cultural concerns. The different religion and culture is very frequently used as an obstacle to Turkish accession. However, according to Art 6 (1) of the Treaty on European Union, Europe is not found on a religious basis, but on common principles and values such as respect for human rights, democracy, the rule of law and fundamental freedoms common to the Member States. Additionally, whenever people cannot think of another issue they pull the TOO BIG argument. However, for instance in economic terms it has been calculated that if Turkey joined now, the Union was not going to be much poorer than the 2004 Enlargement. In 1963, the European Commission President claimed Turkey is considered part of Europe and in 1997 the Luxembourg European Council affirmed its eligibility for accession to the European Union. In support of this statement the Treaty on European Union states that any European state, which respects the principles set out in Art 6 (1) may apply to become a member of the Union. Of course, Turkey would considerably extend EU’s borders, but isn’t Cyprus very far away as well?
The expectations of Turkish people are for Pacta Sunt Servanda (agreements shall be respected and kept) and everybody should play according to the rules, meaning also there shall be the same requirements for everyone. Unfortunately, Turkey cannot even open the negotiations because of other issues. Even if the whole criteria are fulfilled, the Cyprus issue would still be there. Turkey has been an applicant country for over 40 years now. Turkish representatives feel they are being asked many questions, others perhaps have not been questioned about. For instance, the term “digestion capacity”, which has been on the agenda since the 1993 Copenhagen summit, hasn’t been a major clause on the agenda of the previous negotiations on the enlargement process (being related more to undertaking the necessary reforms regarding the EU’s own institutions, politics and budget). Thus, Turkish people think there are double standards for Turkey and other applicant countries. The disadvantages for the Turkish people such as loss of sovereignty, loss of culture and religion, the strong feeling they hate us, the lack of trust and loss of territorial integrity should also be recognized and taken into consideration.
Turkey should not be seen as an enemy, but as a bridge to the Muslim world and the Muslim democracy. Every time the EU accepts new members, it changes (Olli Rehn). In addition to bringing more cultural and religious diversity, Turkey would also provide a strong connection between civilizations, better energy supply routes and make the Union a global player. It is also a way for the EU to be closer and exercise a better control over geographic areas of interest such as the Middle East and the Caucuses. Additionally, Turkey is seen as a natural representative of the Muslim world in the EU. Although, most of the global problems occur in the Middle East, there are no legitimate representatives from the Middle East in global governance. For instance, there are no Muslim representatives in the G-8 or among the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. There are serious representation deficiencies in global governance. The accession of Turkey will be challenging both for the EU and Turkey. (Issues Arising From Turkey’s Membership Perspective, European Commission). The integration process would be very hard for both sides. But if well managed, it would offer important opportunities for both sides.
EU membership criteria are also good for a more democratic and prosperous Turkey. Those developments are good for Turkey’s future as a whole, to be able to serve as a model country. But Turkey needs to digest the developments already made as well as the European Union needs to absorb the new Member States. Turkey made many inter-institutional changes, underwent many reforms and it would additionally change the well-known Article 301 regarding insults on Turkish identity. The foreseen date for Turkish membership is seen to extend from 2014 up to 2027 and further (the best date seen is around 2018). However, how long is Turkey willing to wait and isn’t it eventually going to get tired of this never ending application process? Moreover, if Turkey complies with all EU requirements but is still not allowed to get into the Union, does this mean EU is a Christian based Union and if so shouldn’t this be somehow stated in the new European Constitution? The answers of those questions will be witnessed in the future, after the ratification and coming into force of the new Constitution and the changes about to come with it, which would also reveal the new direction the Union is going to take after 50 years of existence.
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Escrito por Redacción el 15 de Enero de 2008 con
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8d 
8 de Marzo de 2009, a las 2:25.
agrees with the previous commentator)
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