merlin

Milliyet



Why is Turkey excluded from EU?

It's not known why the Europe Union doesn't want Turkey because the EU does not clearly say or cannot explain properly what it wants from Turkey. Many Europeans cite the fact that only a small potion of Turkish land is located in continental Europe, said Milliyet's Yaman Törüner.

“However, they accepted Greek Cyprus, an island considered to be part of Asia, in the EU. They say Turkey is a Muslim country but they forget the majority of the Balkan countries, whose membership was accepted in May, were a part of the Ottoman Empire before World War I,” he said.

“On the other side, Islam is accepted in many EU countries. For example, there are so many Muslims in the Evry region of France, a country notorious for acting with hostility towards Turkey, that no pork or alcohol are sold in the supermarkets there,” he added.

“There are 43 schools that offer Muslim education, even in tiny Netherlands, and there are applications to open more Islamic schools,” he said.

“Then what is the main justification for Turkey's rejection? EU Commissioner from the Netherlands Frits Bolkestain says Turkey is very big, very poor and very different.”

Listing the commissioner's views about why Turkey is excluded from Europe, Törüner wrote:

• If Turkey joins the EU, it will instantly be among the four largest countries in the union, along with Germany, France and Britain;

• Turkey's national income per capita amounts to 29 percent of the average EU income;

• The elite in Turkey is smaller than in Western countries;

• Turkey will bring an economic burden to the EU;

• There is no economic or political stability in Turkey;

• Turkey's human rights record still leaves much to be desired;

• There are attempts under way in Turkey to outlaw adultery; and

• Turkey still does not recognize the alleged Armenian genocide.

Törüner claimed that the main reason Turkey is not wanted is that Turkey is stronger than many EU countries.

He said Turkey is much stronger than most countries in Europe in terms of its land mass and its military strength. “The problem is that we are strong, not weak,” he said.