The Turkey dilemma

Perhaps one of the most controversial bids made by any country to join the European Union is that by Turkey some years back. With a population of over 62 million that would make it the second largest country in the EU after Germany and at par with the UK. Indeed, the Turkish Administration is trying hard to give the impression that the country is ready for membership and is trying to garner as much support from other member states as possible but, sadly, not all that glitters is gold and, in my opinion, there is a long road ahead before the admission of Turkey should even start to be considered.

One cannot deny the fact that Turkey has a huge regional presence and its strategic position can be a bridge between the EU and central Asia and between the Islamic and Christian worlds. This asset though is tarnished by the fact that many fundamentalists from the neighbouring countries and even from within could use this bridge for less noble aims. One must not forget that, although Turkey prides itself with being a secular country and has done so throughout the years, most of the population is staunch Muslim and not open to dialogue. The struggles between secular authorities and religious patriarchs has been an ongoing and dominant one throughout the years with the most recent outburst being the riots where AKP (the ruling party in Turkey) insisted on lifting a ban on women wearing the hijab to go to University.

One can imagine what the eventual presidency of the EU in the hands of Turkey would lead to in an ever-more liberal Europe, especially where moral issues are concerned. Its geographical position is also an issue and there is no point denying that Turkey has long been considered part of the European continent. It is evident that its bulk lies within Asia bordering countries like Iran and Iraq. These long borders may and will pose a definite threat to Europe as they will be used as a gateway for immigrants from these and other bordering countries to enter the EU illegally.

Economically, Turkey's bid poses a problem too. Considering that its population is about 15 per cent of the whole of the EU's there is a big discrepancy in the GDP, which amounts to only about two per cent of the GDP of EU member countries. This and the factor that the birth rate in Turkey is much higher than that in the other member states will undoubtedly cause unnecessary and undesired strain on the other member states. Besides the economic problem that the bid raises, one has also to take into consideration the political turbulence in the country that has been marred with military coups throughout the decades. And even though the present leaders brought in greater stability than their forerunners there still is an air of uncertainty.

The economy, the fundamentalism and political instability are all worrying factors that should lead to an eventual no to Turkey's application, but perhaps the strongest argument against membership is the occupation of northern Cyprus. Since 1974, Turkey has been occupying the northern part of a member state of the EU and I am strongly of the opinion that unless Turkey withdraws its presence and its occupancy no talks about EU membership should commence.

We Europeans constantly talk about human rights in far away countries; frequently our forces go to God-forsaken lands to ensure that human rights are upheld, and yet, we are ignoring the plight of the Cypriots. This is a blatant abuse of human rights happening right under our noses. We should put more pressure on Turkey. If indeed this country professes to be a democratic one it should act thus and move out immediately of a territory that does not belong to it. I have had the opportunity to be part of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee and it is incredible how the Turkish politicians conveniently ignore this important fact. This, added to the fact that no guarantee has ever been given on the right of those living in Turkey to observe their religious beliefs unobstructed, are, in my opinion, two key issues that have to be looked into closely and until we have the necessary guarantees we should make no further progress in discussions about membership.

Having said all this, it is still important for Europe to have a cordial relationship with Turkey, especially in defence matters. It is a fact that Turkey has always been a staunch ally of the west and we should build on that. Finally, I believe that a special agreement would suit Turkey and the EU better.

Mr Casa is a Nationalist member of the European Parliament.

david.casa@europarl.europa.eu, www.davidcasa.eu