EU seeks fresh start with Turkey on membership bid

[hellheaven1987]

The EU's Commissioner for Enlargement, Stefan Fuele, is visiting Turkey in an attempt to give new impetus to Ankara's stalled bid to join the bloc.

Turkey opened accession talks with the EU in 2005, but they have been stalled for two years because some EU leaders oppose its membership and Turkey refuses to recognise Cyprus.

Both sides launched a new "positive agenda" in Ankara on Thursday.

The 27-nation EU is by far the largest consumer of Turkish exports.

"Our aim is to keep the accession process alive and put it properly back on track, after a period of stagnation which has been a source of frustration on both sides," Mr Fuele said in Ankara.

The BBC's Jonathan Head in Istanbul says the high hopes and euphoria that accompanied the start of Turkey's EU accession talks seven years ago have collapsed into a mess of mutual recriminations.

It has been two years since Turkey opened any new negotiating chapters out of the 35 it needs to complete before it can join the EU. Only one chapter has been finished, and more than half are blocked.

With Cyprus about to take up the rotating presidency of the EU, relations will be even more strained, our correspondent says.

Turkey does not allow ships or planes from Cyprus to use its ports and airports. The division of Cyprus remains a major sticking point, with the Turkish-controlled north of the island recognised only by Ankara.

Source

Another article for the general analysis.

Nothing in Stefan Fuele's in-tray is more daunting than Turkey.

The European Union enlargement commissioner's job is to manage the accession of new member states, and Turkey's candidacy dwarfs that of any other country, in both its scale and complexity.

So Mr Fuele is a regular visitor to the country, but his trip this week is pivotal.

In a series of meetings with Turkish ministers in Ankara on Thursday - including both Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu - he wants to draw a line under the increasingly negative sentiments expressed by both sides over the way Turkey's membership bid has ground to a halt.

They are launching a "positive agenda", highlighting areas where Turkey and the EU are co-operating, and devoting resources to them.

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Consider the broken situation EU faces NOW, it is probably not a surprise that EU wants to seek strong new member to stable its internal market and the trust of international community. However, it does rise a question what Turkey would benefit now by joining a broken, dying EU now.

[Prosaic Visitant]

Thanks to debtland, the EU is looking for money where-ever it can be found.

[alhoon]

Source

Another article for the general analysis.



Source

Consider the broken situation EU faces NOW, it is probably not a surprise that EU wants to seek strong new member to stable its internal market and the trust of international community. However, it does rise a question what Turkey would benefit now by joining a broken, dying EU now.

With Turkey in the EU there would be +1 Trillion in EU's GDP, but also 70 millions of relatively poor people that could move freely within the EU increasing unemployment in developed countries.

[Odenat]

uhm, nobody in the Turkey want to join to the EU anymore. The polls are record low. And, Turkey already said it's stopping the opening of the negotiations for 3 titles.

By the way Alhoon, Turkish unemployment is much lower than most of the EU countries. therefore, it seems we will be flooded with unwanted European immigrants.

[DarthLazy]

Dont do it Turkey, do not shoot thyself in the foot eth .

[Amritochates]

Finally... The Mandarins in EU realized that Turkey in the end turned out a better bet than its name would suggest.

Even more so when compared to its crisis ridden neighbor, which at least in my opinion should have never been admitted, at least not without additional safeguards.

With Turkey in the EU there would be +1 Trillion in EU's GDP, but also 70 millions of relatively poor people that could move freely within the EU increasing unemployment in developed countries

Hah!!! utter balderdash. If only hot air and rhetoric were exportable products the current crisis in your country would'nt even exist.

In 2005 to 2012 in which your people made a mess out your country that other people are now required to clean up, the Turks tripled their GDP to become a trillion dollar economy and that too without EU handouts.
In fact turkey is more of a developed nation today than your basket case of a nation.

[alhoon]

In 2005 to 2012 in which your people made a mess out your country that other people are now required to clean up, the Turks tripled their GDP to become a trillion dollar economy and that too without EU handouts.
In fact turkey is more of a developed nation today than your basket case of a nation.

OK, and what's the GPD per capita in Turkey? What is the average salary?

And if salaries and working conditions are so much better in Turkey than in Germany, France, England etc then why there are so many Turkish immigrants there?

Look, I was the first to say that Turkey would bring a trillion $ in the GDP of EU, but to ignore that other nations of EU (I don't speak about PIIGS) have better salaries and by ingoring that, to say that Turkish people would not move there to open shops and find work there is wrong.

[removeduser_487563287433]

OK, and what's the GPD per capita in Turkey? What is the average salary?

I don't think quality of life is his point, but rather than Turkey is growing rapidly and recognised as one of the next big economies... whereas... well, Greece is done.

[magpie]

My advice for what its worth? To Turkey, Is keep your independence and stay well away from the EU.
Turkey is doing well without getting swamped by EU politic,s and austerity.

[Exarch]

how the mighty have fallen; was it only 3 years ago when the turks came cap in hand to be allowed into the christian EU?

[Sadreddine]

I can almost imagine Merkel whispering 'yesss, come inside, be welcomed...there are some countries here that need a bit of money, nothing serious really'.

Stay away from the EU unless you wish to be infected by the economic Black Death.

[removeduser_487563287433]

I would say Turkey shouldn't become a member until Cyprus is resolved, but then again, neither should have Cyprus.

[Stavroforos]

Aye, all these talks are for nothing will Turkey still keeps up an illegal military occupation of an EU member state.

[removeduser_487563287433]

Except all the cyprus talks were meant to be for nothing unless they sorted their out. They didn't, and we still let them in.

[Stavroforos]

Except all the cyprus talks were meant to be for nothing unless they sorted their out. They didn't, and we still let them in.

Yes, the EU is stupid.

[removeduser_487563287433]

Yup.

[Their Law]

Beside's does the EU really want to get involved in the Kurdish quagmire they've yet to resolve?

[Jom]

I wonder if Cameron and Hague will keep up the traditionally pro-accession stance that Britain has held for the past decade or so as a way of trying to break French and Germany hegemony.

[Their Law]

Politically that could be tricky. It could be perceived by the more fanatical members of their party as a "pro-eu" stance.

[alhoon]

Yeah, but as far as EU is concerned, the 1Trillion would be good for EU, as will be the rapid growth of Turkey with German and French industries but for the politicians, even 100K Turkish arriving in Germany to find work would be a problem. And I think there would be more than 100K.