Should Turkey join the EU?

Index of contents

1. Introduction

2. An overview of the EU enlargement
2.1 Historical overview
2.2 Copenhagen criteria

3. The benefits and drawbacks of EU enlargement
3.1 Existing member states
3.2 New member states

4. EU and its members’ views on the possible accession of Turkey
4.1 The view of the European Commission
4.2 The view of the member countries

5. An estimation of the Turkish governments view

6. Conclusion and recommendation

1. Introduction

Since its foundation in 1957 the discussion about further enlargements of the

European Union has increased significantly. As more and more countries have joined the EU especially during recent years, the debate and the estimation for future enlargements have intensified. The current discussion about Turkey’s accession accompanies with a broad range of political, economical and institutional criteria which determine the opportunity to become a member of the EU. The following elaboration will clarify the different opinions about a new enlargement, concerning Turkey’s preparedness to become a member state and was called by the module leaders of International Business Europe from Napier University Edinburgh.

2. An overview of the EU enlargement

Inspired by Jean Monnet, the French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman stated in 1950: “Europe will not be made all at once, or according to a single plan. It will be built through concrete achievements which first create a de facto solidarity.” (Fondation Robert Schuman 2008). This declaration can be seen as a significant turnaround in the relationship of central European countries and summarizes the idea of a step-by-step enlargement of the EU.

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Figure 1: The European Union 2007, from eurominority.org (2007)

2.1 Historical overview

Referring to Cepova-Fourtoy (2007) first signs of a collaborative approach could be seen by the establishment of the European Coal and Steal Community (ECSC) which was established by the Treaty of Paris in 1951. France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands which had been previous enemies in the Second World War agreed on sharing the production of coal and steal. These six countries further established the European Economic Community (EEC, now the European Union) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), also known as the Treaties of Rome, in 1957 (El-Agraa 2004).

The first enlargement of the European Community took place in 1973, when Denmark, Ireland and the UK joined the EEC. The second enlargement proceeded in 1981 when Greece acceded as the 10th member country.

Moreover, Portugal and Spain joined in 1986. On the 3rd October 1990 East and West Germany reunified which increased the territory of the EEC but did not raise the number of member countries (El-Agraa 2004). The next significant step influencing the EU enlargement can be seen in the Maastricht Treaty which was signed in 1992. In general, this treaty led to the creation of the EU and was a result of separate negotiations covering the area of a monetary and political union. In 1995 Austria, Sweden and Finland acceded the EU which was then represented by 15 member countries. The biggest enlargement in terms of scope and diversity occurred in 2004. Ten countries joined the confederation, which was than also called the EU 25; Eight Central European countries which where formerly centrally planned (Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia) and two Mediterranean countries (Malta, Cyprus) (Schadler 2007). The accession of Bulgaria and Romania in 2007 is the most recent enlargement. Thus, today 27 member countries are encompassed by the EU and candidate countries such as Croatia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and Turkey might broaden the confederation (Schadler 2007).

2.2 Copenhagen criteria

In order to become a member of the EU candidate countries have to fulfil certain political, economic and institutional criteria, also known as the Copenhagen criteria. They were established by the European Council in 1993 and expanded the geographical and general policy criteria represented by the Treaty of Maastricht (Hitiris 2003). Referring to the European Commission (2008) and the summary of Kahal (1998) the Copenhagen criteria were then seen as prerequisites for further accessions and can be subdivided into three areas:

- political criteria
- economic criteria
- institutional criteria

As far as the political criteria are concerned, the stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities are required (Kahal 1998). Thus, for a candidate country seeking to get a member of the EU it is necessary to keep a democratic system where free elections and the right to build political parties are significant.

As stated by the Copenhagen European Council (European Commission 2008) a candidate country has to possess a functioning market economy (economic criteria). Moreover it is inevitable to show the capacity to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within the union.

The institutional criteria include the ability to take on the obligations of membership including adherence to the aims of political, economic and monetary union. The free movement of goods, workers and capital are very important sub points and can be seen as considerable requirements for accession.

3. The benefits and drawbacks of EU enlargement

The extension of the confederation causes some general benefits and drawbacks for existing and new member countries. It aspires the free movement of goods, people and capital (European Commission 2005a). The free movement of people can lead to better job opportunities, better training or education and an increased level of innovation. However, some countries can experience a certain brain drain, which means that they lose highly qualified workers. As far as the free movement of goods is concerned, an enlarged EU offers the opportunity for increased sales and economic growth in terms of GDP (Trichet 2004). The free movement of capital provides the opportunity to invest into new markets. Whereas some countries might profit from such a circumstance, for some other countries this clearly accompanies with the threat of an increased outflow of investments. General outcomes of these free movements can be seen in a strengthened relationship of the participating countries and the prevention of conflicts among them. As far as the consumers of the final products or services are concerned, a broader common market accelerates the competitive pressure on each company. Thus, price reductions, a better quality standard and diversified products and services come into effect (Trichet 2004)

3.1 Existing member states

As the enlargement leads to a broader range of customers, it also enriches the existing EU with cultural diversity (Tupy 2003). This diversity can be used to create new ideas and build up a better understanding for different target groups. Moreover, the untapped markets of new EU members are helpful to extend the product life cycles of companies of existing members. As their own market might be saturated, the new economies offer the opportunity for additional sales (BBC News 2007). Furthermore, jobs can be outsourced to low cost countries more easily, where the companies of some existing member states can achieve lower labour costs (El-Agraa 2004).

Referring to risks and drawbacks of the EU enlargement, some analysts fear that mass immigration and increased organised crime destroy the benefits of economic growth which comes along with the enlargement (BBC News 2007). Furthermore a larger EU makes it more difficult to achieve a real deep integration process and finding a consensus can be even more difficult.

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