The negotiations between Turkey and the European Union to join the European Union began already in October 2005. There are many arguments for allowing Turkey join the EU, but there are at least as many arguments against it. Should Turkey be allowed to join the EU (Rosenberg, Turkey in the European Union, 2008)? Many proponents think that Turkey’s location might be useful for the future. It can serve as a bridge between Europe and the Islamic countries. Turkey has already worked on some important thing that are necessary if they want to join the EU.
They have for instance abolished the death penalty and introduced several measures to help women and Kurds. It is now possible to broadcast in Kurdish, which was impossible for a very long time (Pros and cons; allowing Turkey to join the EU, 2009).
Turkey is definitely responding to EU’s demands, but the main question is whether Turkey is an added value to the EU or not. The criteria of Copenhagen should be applied to a European country and Turkey cannot be considered as one.
The differences between Turkey and the rest of the European members are too big and therefore should Turkey not join the EU. Proponents state that the location of Turkey is ideal, because it connects the European countries with the Islamic countries. Turkey is located close to countries like Iran, Iraq and Syria, which means that these countries will become located closer to the EU. Which is not a good thing, since these countries are far from (political) stable. The image of Turkey has never been very good over the past years.
The Term Paper on Single Currency Countries European Union
Enlargement and Deepening of EU The original six members established the European Community in 1957: West Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium and Luxemburg. The main reason behind this unification was a specific response to a series of problems, which confronted a group of countries in Western Europe in the immediate aftermaths of 1945. Unification offered Western Europe a means of ...
In the 60s, many Turkish men came to countries like Germany and the Netherlands. They had the intention to stay for just a few years and then leave back to Turkey, but most of them stayed. They even brought their families to these countries. These families came to benefit from the western countries, didn’t spoke the language at all. That never boosted the image of the Turkish people. If Turkey would be allowed to join the EU, it will lead to a new flow of immigrants into Europe. And that’s something that most European countries, and its citizens, don’t want at all (Stone, 2012).
At this moment is Turkey not really a rich country. That means that in the first years Turkey will mostly benefit from its membership. Taxpayers in other countries have to subsidize the Turkish people. But Turkey is a large country with a growing economy. It is plausible that within a few years Turkey will have a booming economy. Turkey has a young and increasingly well-educated population and will soon exercise too much power compared to the other EU members (Pros and cons; allowing Turkey to join the EU, 2009).
