Who's Afraid of Turkey?

The recent European Union summit conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, resulted in an agreement to admit 10 new members by May 2004. Turkey, however, continues to knock on the door to the EU, as it has for some 15 years.

by Paul Kieffer

The EU summit conference held in mid-December in the Danish capital of Copenhagen produced an agreement between the European Union and 10 countries seeking EU membership. On May 1, 2004, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia will become full members of the EU. For Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel, the conference was a historic occasion for the EU. "This is the reunification of Europe," Michel told reporters after the agreement was finalized.

The Copenhagen summit was indeed noteworthy. The 10 new member countries represent the single largest addition to EU membership in EU history and produce an increase in the EU's surface area of approximately 30 percent. As of May 1, 2004, the EU will comprise nearly 500 million people in 25 countries, a population roughly 60 percent larger than that of the United States.

One country, however, was disappointed by the summit: Turkey. It has had "associated" status since 1963 and first applied for full membership in 1987. Membership has been denied since then because of Turkey's occasionally unstable political system and human rights record, which were deemed incompatible with European standards.

There is also concern about the cost of Turkish membership. Admitting 10 new nations next year with a combined population of 75 million will cost an estimated 40 billion euros (over $40 billion). A poorer Turkey with a population of 70 million could cost other member nations much more.

However, the EU indicated its willingness to decide on starting official membership negotiations with Turkey by the end of 2004, provided Turkey continues its internal reform process. For example, within the last two years Turkey announced that it would no longer carry out the death penalty, one of the prerequisites for membership negotiations with the EU.

Read the full article at www.wnponline.org/wnp/wnp0302/turkey.htm

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