TURKEY AND THE EU

FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT DON'T KNOW IT - I HAVE BEEN WRITING FOR AN ONLINE MAGAZINE CALLED RUNNING IN HEELS .CO.UK
THIS ARTICLE WAS PERHAPS TOO HIGHBROW FOR THEM! SO I'VE DECIDED TO ADD IT TO MY BLOG INSTEAD.
IT'S A MOVE AWAY FROM MY MORE LIGHT HEARTED OBSERVATIONAL PIECES BUT EVERY NOW AND AGAIN I THINK IT'S GOOD TO GET YOUR TEETH INTO SOMETHING...

SO HERE ARE MY THOUGHTS ON TURKEY AND ITS ACCESSION TO THE EU. I HOPE YOU CAN GAIN A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THE SUBJECT.


Turkey and the EU – Will it or Can it Ever Happen?
Lucinda Belle

Good Evening, Bonsoir, Hello United Kingdom and Nasilsin European Union. This is Turkey speaking, Abdullah Gul, President and leader of the AKP (Adalet ve kalkinma Partisi). We enjoyed this year’s show very much and some of us appreciated the suggestions and reforms put forward by the Eurovision countries (although some are out of tune with our current position). Having looked at our reforms, here are our results awarded to those countries most enthusiastic about Turkey’s accession towards the EU. Merci and Teşekkür ederim:

United Kingdom : Douze points
Spain: Dix points
Bulgaria: Neuf points

Portugal: Huit points
Ireland: Sept points
Italy: Six points
Greece: Cinq points

Denmark: Quatre points
Netherlands: Trios points
Germany: Deux points

Austria: Un point
France: Nil points

Eurovision song contest it isn’t but the issue of Turkey’s accession is not unlike a game of chess. Turkey’s earliest right of entry into the European Union is not until 2014 and so far the wrestle between the EU and Turkey is proving them both worthy opponents in a game that began in October 2005 (when EU - Turkey accession began) the question is will it be Turkey’s check mate five years from now?

I find it hard to believe that Turkey will have matured in the ways required of it in just five years. Indeed sceptics question whether Turkey will ever actually make it into the EU at all. This is a difficult question and in order to answer it, one must first understand Turkey’s motivation for wanting to join by looking at its internal dynamics and history that led it here.

Turkey’s constitution has until recently prioritised secularism over democracy. With the Republic of Turkey under Ataturk came an imposed modernising revolution. He insisted that the country’s future was to be a progressive modern and secular European State. This responsibility was at the military’s behest and not the government’s.

The military took on this role with a mighty fervour and have run with it ever since ensuring that secularism is the dominant force in Turkish politicking. With any sniff of Islamic rule or whiff of Sharia law the weight of the army’s fist has been felt through military coups, government overthrows, threats and corruption.

In 2008 the government changed the law to allow women the rights to wear a headscarf in universities. In response certain military heads and high-ranking officials tried to bring down the government. Their attempt failed and they were arrested and reprimanded. The officials took their case to court on the grounds that the government was not upholding Turkeys cherished principle of secularism. The military lost but the attempted coup forced the EU to threaten to end all accession talks. The Turkish government was ordered to take control of its military.

Turkey’s acceptance into the EU would drive forward secularism through modernisation. In the mid eighties Turkey’s Anatolian province, Kayseri (population 1 million and responsible for much of Turkey’s textile and furniture exports), proved that through the emergence of new industry and economic growth, a largely peasant society could be transformed into urban dwelling wage earners with modern requirements.

Turkish accession would also bring about a European globalisation, creating socialisation between countries through NGO’s, PPP’s, Universities and business co-ops. The more individuals and communities overlap the less they will be bound by their religious authority.

This desire for secularism through modernisation is a main contributing fact that continues to drive Turkey in its accession towards the EU. It shifts the balance of power towards the EU, for the effect of modernisation in its country through EU membership is currently worth so much to Turkey, it is almost a weakness that can be exploited by the EU.

Since having met the Copenhagen criteria in 2004 (the preservation of democratic governance, upholding of human rights and a functioning market economy) Turkey has stalled in furthering its reforms and obligations relating to the Acquis (the negotiating framework, the reforms necessary for accession, 35 chapters). This has further spurred on the Euro-sceptics giving them more opportunity to slap the wrists of their already unwelcome Islamic neighbours and causing contention among the Turkish Elite.

Turkey has adopted an inflexible stance more recently; having begun to appreciate the bargaining chips they hold through their geopolitical role. Turkey is tired of the EU treating it as a second rate candidate. They are demanding more respect and attempting to lay down their demands. But are they playing too dicey a game? How will entry into the EU affect their geopolitical position?

Turkey’s pivotal geographic location between Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, the Balkans and the Caucasus makes it the gateway between the West and the East. It is close to 70% of the world’s oil and gas resources and thus a natural energy bridge between oil producing countries and European consumer markets. This is of course one of the main advantages that the EU are set to gain from by granting Turkey membership and one of the reasons as to why they both need each other.

During his recent visit to Turkey President Obama praised it as not the country ‘where East and West divide’ but rather ‘where they come together.’ Since accession talks began, Turkey has received direct foreign investment from European companies in Germany, Austria, Greece and France (all countries less enthusiastic about EU membership) and is emerging as a key energy distributor with the development of the blue stream gas pipeline (Russia-Turkey), the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (Caspian Basin- Turkey). The fact that Turkey has received heavy foreign investment since accession talks began proves that they need each other. This developing relationship can act as a facilitator in the Turkish accession.

Over the past five years Turkey has also re built relations with other surrounding Islamic countries. It hosted a joint working group between Pakistan and Afghanistan, supported the EU with regards to the Iran nuclear program and the Middle East peace process and it saw relations improve positively with Syria. It is because of this and ongoing positive relations with these neighbouring Islamic countries that Turkey has an important strategic role in terms of Europe’s security.

But by joining the EU and leaning away from the middle east countries, will Turkey undo what its’ strived so hard to achieve? Are some of the Islamic countries likely to look at Turkey with biased eyes? Will they be inclined to withdraw given Turkey’s obvious allegiance with the West? If Turkey does achieve membership it instantly loses its neutrality. By joining, it is openly declaring alignment with Western values and joining the Christian club that is the EU. Turkey is walking a thin line and will have to tread very carefully if it is to continue to exert its influence in the Middle East whilst appeasing the EU.

But what of European public opinion on Turkey’s accession? There is still much fear surrounding the prospect of an Islamic migrant invasion. However, with a booming economy and new opportunities it’s perfectly possible that migration away from Turkey will not match the hype and that the overwhelming majority will seek a better life at home and not elsewhere in the EU.

It is the view of Islam and its place in a modern Turkey that some EU countries cite as a reason to oppose Turkey’s membership, despite the AKP’s vision of Turkey as a democratic-Islamic state. There is not much getting away from the fact that Turkey’s membership is unpalatable to those who see it as the end of the EU’s Christian club. The idea of an official Muslim voice and identity within the Union frightens many people.

My view is that both sides would benefit if the process of integration were carried forward successfully.

Turkey needs to work harder at continuing to make the necessary reforms, the largest problem being their unwillingness to incorporate Cyprus into their agreement. It needs to mature as a country and reshape its constitution. It has to do more than pay lip service to itself as a modern democratic-Islamic state – it must start believing it too. It should put more effort into promoting this image to Europe. Above all, if Turkey really does want membership, it must recognise that entering into this game with the EU means playing by the rules. If it’s going European it’s got to be prepared to surrender to the European way.

The EU needs to recognise Turkey’s full potential. It does need a shift in attitude and would benefit from taking on Barak Obama’s vision of unity. Apart from free access to a booming and growing economy, with any foresight the EU would be crazy to continue to patronize Turkey and would gain much from its membership. Turkey can prove to be a valuable and influential player on the world stage. It could offer assistance in achieving a peace deal between Israel and Syria, act as go between in dealings with Afghanistan and Iraq and play a pivotal role in other security related issues. It offers an important alternative for the EU’s energy options and should be embraced as an ally and not as some kind of Islamic threat.

Whether or not Turkey will achieve membership remains to be seen. Whilst researching this article I asked an eminent businessman his views on Turkey and this was his response: “it’s so unlikely to happen it’s not even worth discussing, I’d bet on a Mars Invasion over Turkey joining the EU.’ He thought some kind of economic alliance more beneficial.

I vote for a forward thinking approach and hope that the EU and Turkey can adopt one too. In order to move forward with the accession talks what is needed is positivity, faith and hope, ensuring that we are ahead of the game in this ever changing world.