EU opens door to Turkish membership
And Turkey takes first steps in, by agreeing to recognize Cyprus.
European Union leaders reached a historic decision to
open membership talks with Turkey on Oct. 3, 2005, after Ankara said it would sign a pact acknowledging Cyprus as an EU member, reports
Reuters.
No one can predict how Turkey - with is population of more than 70 million Muslims - will transform the EU, or be transformed. Certainly both sides see economic benefits in a union, but the prospects for cultural assimilation are daunting.
What is the degree to which Muslim values accomodate the West and vice versa? One thing is certain: a process that could dramatically change the face of Europe in the next two decades has been set in motion.
There were several major hurdles that needed to be resolved early Friday morning before an agreement could be signed. Any one of could have
tripped up negotiations, leaving Turkey out in the cold, reports
Reuters.
•The greatest unresolved issue was the EU's requirement that Turkey sign a customs-union accord with 10 new member states including Cyprus. The EU claims this would not be an official recognition of Cyprus as a state, but admits that it would in effect mean "
de facto recognition of Cyprus," something Turkey said it would not do at this time, reports the
BBC.
But a compromise was hammered out, reports
Reuters.
An EU government official said Turkey pledged unilaterally to sign a protocol extending its EU association agreement to the 10 new member states, including Cyprus, before it starts entry talks. But the text would be adapted to take account of the special situation on the divided island.
In return, [the EU]... would spell out that this was not tantamount to recognition of the Greek Cypriot government in Nicosia.
At present Turkey, and only Turkey, recognizes the "self-styled state of Turkish northern Cyprus," says the
BBC. Turkey has 35,000 troops stationed there. The island has been divided since an attempted coup by a Greek Cypriot officer in 1974.
•The EU left open the possibility it might set a quota for Turkish workers migrating to Europe, something no other EU member faces. Initially, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan stated such a condition would unacceptable because it would relegate Turkey to less than equal status.
But a compromise position did mention the possibility of such a temporary measures from the EU treaty "spelling out that this was not the same as permanent restrictions on freedom of movement," says
Reuters.
•Turkey's entry talks - which could take more than 10 year - are now guaranteed like other new members at the first stage. All 25 EU leaders agreed to open accession negotiations with Turkey. Previously, some EU leaders would not agree to guarantee open-ended talks leading to membership. Turkish officials viewed that stipulation as a national insult. "To date, no country has failed to reach an accession [acceptance] agreement
once talks have begun," reports
RTE News.
Ankara has been
knocking on the EU's door for more than 40 years. Accession talks will not be easy by any stretch of the imagination. Though Europe's national leaders endorse Turkish membership, that is
not the case for the general population, reports the
Los Angeles Times:
In Europe, public sentiment has been far more negative. Many Europeans are reluctant to admit a country of nearly 70 million Muslims, many of them poor, when the continent is struggling to define its own identity and to accommodate growing immigrant populations.
Germany is home to the biggest Turkish population in Europe. Some 2.8 million Turks, many of them descendants of immigrant guest-workers who moved to Germany in the 1960s.
Yet, "a sizeable portion of the German population as well as the conservative opposition parties has
deep-seated reservations about Turkey's membership," reports
The Turkish Press.
And this is despite the fact that Germany is Turkey's biggest trading partner. But "with 10 percent unemployment, countries such as Germany are apprehensive about young,
cheap Turkish workers who will be very keen," to work for any wage, the
Guardian quotes Katinka Barysch, chief economist at the Centre for European Reform, as saying.
Opponents to Turkey's admittance, reports the
Times of London, feel that it is
Too big, too populous, too poor, and too culturally different to integrate into the EU, and the EU risks 'enlarging itself to death' by extending its borders to Iran, Iraq and Syria. Those who support Turkey's entrance say bringing the vast, mainly agrarian country bridges Europe and the Middle East, and that it would foster stability and security, says the
Times.
Turkey is viewed by Washington as a key Western ally and its acceptance into the EU would "spread stability and security, and promote dialogue with the Islamic world by taking in a vibrant Muslim democracy," says the
Times.
French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schr���der both defied public opinion in their respective countries this week to argue for Turkish membership, reports the
Guardian.
Mindful of the fact that 67 percent of French voters opposed membership in one opinion poll this week, Mr. Chirac appeared on television on Wednesday to argue the case. [Chirac swept] aside fears about diluting the EU's Christian identity.
Also...
•
Turkey's day of destiny (
Khaleej Times)
•
The Great Powers of Europe, Redefined (
NY Times)
•
What is Europe? (
The Guardian)
•
Turks Worry That a Union With Europe Will Cost Them Their Soul (
NY Times
•
The Turkish Letter (
The Weekly Standard)
• Feedback appreciated. E-mail
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