Jean-Pierre Lehmann
Turkey to the EU's rescue
The Copenhagen Climate Change Conference was an unmitigated disaster for the European Union. Instead of the EU claiming centre stage, as its leaders assumed it would, the key actors were the United States, Brazil, South Africa, India and China. Indeed, when the accord was reached, the EU was not even in the room. Copenhagen exposed the demise of Europe not only as a global power, but even as a global arbiter.
So what is the EU is left with? As its "hard power" ebbs, its "soft power", as illustrated by the Copenhagen summit, seems to be very weak. This in part arises from a failure to provide the EU with political power.
The Lisbon Treaty was a compromise constitutional arrangement that would nevertheless give the EU greater weight and authority precisely for occasions such as the Copenhagen summit, when global issues are addressed. Though multiple European actors on the world stage were more than justified in the old days, this is no longer the case. With China, India, the US, Indonesia, Brazil and other major global players speaking with one voice, Europe could no longer afford a cacophony of voices.
But in Copenhagen, the structure established by the Lisbon Treaty failed. Can anyone even recall what the EU's new President said there? Indeed, can anyone even remember his name? (It is Herman von Rumpoy, in case you were wondering.)
Beyond the failure in Copenhagen, the EU has several other problems. It tends to be perceived globally as supercilious, petulant and prim. Its know-it-all attitude grates almost everywhere. With only seven per cent of the world's population (and rapidly dwindling) and composed mainly of post-industrial low-growth economies, the EU is increasingly seen as marginal. Europeans do not realise how little interest in "European affairs" there is in Seoul, Sydney, São Paolo or San Francisco. There is a growing general global consensus that Europe is a pompous old has-been.
There are many causes for the decline of the EU's global position and prestige, one of which has been the way in which the Union has evolved as an aloof and bureaucratic citadel. This is unfortunate, because, despite its problems, the EU does have much to offer. But there seems little prospect for a European revival. The EU will continue to decline and become increasingly marginalised as it fails to find the spirit or the structure to adjust to the profound transformations and challenges of the 21st century.
There is one thing, however, that could revive the EU, give it much enhanced global respectability, and make it an "interesting" place, as well as ensure a return to the international limelight: Turkey's admission as a full member.
The debate about whether Turkey is European is absurd. It is impossible to airbrush Turkey out of European history. Apart from being an integral part of Europe, membership for Turkey, with its young and dynamic population, would provide a great fillip for Europe's aging demographic profile.
In a highly complex and diverse world, the EU stands out for its homogeneity. While the EU flatters itself on diversity, it is in fact one of the least diverse regions of the world. There is more ethnic diversity in, say, Malaysia than in the entire EU. ASEAN as a whole, with a population of 580 million, is not significantly bigger than the EU (with 500 million), yet it encompasses an infinitely greater degree of ethnic, linguistic, cultural and religious diversity.
With Turkey as a member, the EU would gain legitimacy as a more "normal" world region. By admitting Turkey, with the world's fifth largest Muslim population (after Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India), the EU would be in a position to establish close ties with the world's 1.8 billion Muslims, and could become a credible voice on reform within the Islamic world. Turkish membership in the Union would also greatly ease the assimilation of the EU's own Muslim minorities.
EU lethargy and growing irrelevance in global public affairs owes much to Eurocentric political atavism. One potential benefit of the Copenhagen debacle could be that it forces the Union to wake up to the new world of the 21st century.
An EU with Turkey as a member would be far better situated to meet today's challenges than an EU without Turkey. But, unfortunately, Turkey, like much of the rest of the world, is rather turned off by the EU. Indeed, now it is the Union that will need to seduce the Turkish people, rather than the other way around.
That seduction should begin this year, with an agenda that sets the process and timeframe for accession, to be followed by an EU-Turkey treaty that confirms the country's accession by 2020.
The author is Professor of International Political Economy and Founding Director of the Evian Group at IMD Business School.
© Project Syndicate, 2010, www.project-syndicate.org.
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simon.saliba
Feb 12th 2010, 18:25
Times of Malta 8 February 2010
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100208/opinion/turkey-to-the-eus-rescue
Quote:
‘In a highly complex and diverse world, the EU stands out for its homogeneity. While the EU flatters itself on diversity, it is in fact one of the least diverse regions of the world. There is more ethnic diversity in, say, Malaysia than in the entire EU. The debate about whether Turkey is European is absurd. It is impossible to airbrush Turkey out of European history ’
Thus Turkey’s membership is a test for what the secular EU values stands for. Same as the immigrants (legal and illegal) are also a severe test for the secular EU’ human right’ values.
On 16 October 2009 it was reported in the Times of Malta that a total 41.3 percent of net inflows of FDI for the first six months of this year originated from EU member states and a further 41.8 percent came from Asia. During the same period in 2008, the EU27 contributed 44 percent of FDI inflows while 30.3 per cent originated from Turkey.
Well, with 30.3 per cent of Malta’s FDI originated from Turkey I give my full support to Turkey’s membership.
D Phillips
Feb 9th 2010, 16:50
@EMuscat,
You do like your generalisations and your factual inaccuracies don't you. Without going into each and every one of your little fables, as quite frankly it would take too long, from a credibility standpoint when you are embarking on your personal crusades against Moslems and all things connected to Islam please try and use concrete facts rather than unsubstantiated fairy stories.
Just as a starting point maybe a quick check in a dictionary to establish the meaning of “fundamentalist” and “failed state”.
DVella
Feb 9th 2010, 14:28
@ Igalea get your geography right mate . . . Turkey is not in the middle-east . . . Turkey is in Asia Minor . . . !
simon.saliba
Feb 8th 2010, 20:02
A great number of USA nuclear war heads are stored in Turkey. This fact alone makes Turkey membership essential for NATO’s and Europe survival. So Turkey is there among EU members, its just a matter of time no matter what Europeans says. This is the way politics is done in the ‘democratic’ EU! People tend to forget that almost six million Turks already live and mostly vote in EU member countries… That's more than the total population of many EU member countries! The Great Siege took place in 1565, an dark era when people still bound to the book of ignorance. They thought that the earth was flat, that snakes came from roosters' eggs, Galilleo was persecuted by the Roman Catholic Church for suggesting that the earth rotates around the sun and the American continent had just been discovered by Europeans. @ E.Muscat Read some books please.
E.Muscat
Feb 8th 2010, 17:30
Nobody wants Turkey in any union:not the europeans and not the arabs!The reasons are many:for the europeans it is and will remain a fundamentalist muslim state as big as the largest european state, Germany (80 million); turkey's presence in the EU will unleash the greatest invasion of muslims in the EU:we can hardly contain the savagery of some romanians in Italy and the albanian mafia also in Italy.The other reason:for the arabs,the turks were their former savage colonisers so they hate them. In the last few days we heard of the teenage girl buried alive in turkey and killed because she talked to boys.We have heard of countless atrocities commited against christians and the biggest historical genocides on record against the armenians,the greeks,and now against the kurds(who are muslim like them!). Its a flawed state(muslim and with a powerful army which intervenes every now and then!) trying to gain entry by proxy:US backing and now even with friendliness with Iran to spite the US and Israel. You should not mention the birthrate:the european birth rate is low because there are one and a half million abortions a year in europe. We will never forget 1565.
lgalea
Feb 8th 2010, 16:45
Joseph Ellul You are right. Turkey has only a tiny bit in Europe. The rest is in the MIddle East. There was also the farse last week of Berlusconi saying that Israel should be an eu member. Madness is setting in at the eu leaders.
Louis Gialanze
Feb 8th 2010, 15:40
Liberals of Jean- Pierre Lehman's ilk would have to try much harder than this to convince us and most European leaders that Turkey's EU membership is compatible with our Christian roots.
DVella
Feb 8th 2010, 14:22
@Jean Pierre Lehgmann Turkey is part of ASIA MINOR . . . it was NEVER any part of Europe!!
D Phillips
Feb 8th 2010, 13:15
Joseph,
I'm not sure Greek Cypriots would agree with you there.
Joseph Ellul - Sydney
Feb 8th 2010, 11:29
Europe stops at Greece. Full stop. I am sure that Turkey is a great nation and if you are right, does not need the EU. I suggest that Turkey can start its own EU ( Eastern Union ). They can start with membership of Syria, Lebanon and Israel. Later on bring in Palestine, Armenia and Turkistan. Turkey can be the Germany of the EU, a leader with money and example by helping the other nations especially Armenia.
The past is history and the future is up in the air.