Category: Politics

This category deals with all contributions related to a broad definition of politics. May it be policies of the European Union or European states, cooperation between national governments, Europe’s foreign policy or the policies of other global actors: whenever a political decision maker or decision making body stands at the center of the issue, you will find it in all likelihood in this category.

Why Shouldn`t Turkey Become a Member of the EU? (4/4)

Posted on by Hacı Mehmet Boyraz
Young girl watching TV, Spotlight Europe
A corrupted European lifestyle could spread in Turkey. (Flickr: Catie Sayeg/licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

This is the last part of a series, discussing the pros and cons of an accession of Turkey to the European Union from all angles. Find the other parts here: First / Second  / Third         

In the third part of the series, I argued why Turkey should not become a member of the EU from the EU’s perspective. In this paper I focus on the argument from Turkey’s perspective. Basically the main arguments on “why Turkey should not become a member of the EU” are based on the cultural differences, corrupted European community, economic and political challenges within the EU.

Cultural differences

Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Spotlight Europe
The Blue Mosque in Istanbul (Flickr: Henrik Berger Jorgensen/licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

As known the main argument against Turkey’s membership is based on the fact that Turkey has a big Muslim population while the EU’s member states have the reverse situation. In this case Turkey should not become a member of the EU because it has a historical symbol in the Islamic world. In the era of the Ottoman Empire, one of the largest and biggest empires in the world, the Sultans (1) were caliphates (2) at the same time. This difference based on religion is one of the double-standards applied by the Europeans against Turkey. For example, although there is no too big a difference between a Turk and a Greek, Greece is a member but Turkey is not. Their life styles, cuisines, cultures, and so on are very similar to each other but the only difference between them is based on religions within the societies: While a big part of Turkish population is Muslim, a big part of Greek population is Christian. From this point of view religion plays an important role for membership.

Also the argument in the eye of the Europeans that Turkey does not respect minorities is not true because when you visit Istanbul, an impressive city in the world, you can see mosque, church and synagogue together. This has been the same for many centuries all over Turkey but you cannot see this in many European states. There are still many European states that do not allow the European Muslims to establish their own mosques.

Thus, Turkey has its own history and background, so if it becomes a member, it can lose its socio-historical values.

Europe as a corrupted community

“[T]he European youth is on the verge of death.”

Today, the European youth is on the verge of “death”. They do not care about their lives. They consume a lot of alcohol every day. Annoyance, rape, violation, consumption of drug, and atheism are the situations seen very often in the European states. Thus, if Turkey becomes a member, these negative situations can spread to the Turkish society.

Economic challenges

At the beginning of the 2000s, economic crises and corruptions were seen very often in Turkey. However, by the ruling government, the Turkish economy has been developing itself in a more positive way. Today, some EU member states have very critical economic challenges. For example, if we look at current economic data, Greece, Malta, Portugal, Spain and some others have economic crisis, so their economic challenges can affect the Turkish economy in a negative way.

Also, the rate of unemployment has been rising in Europe, so by becoming a member of the EU, the rate of unemployment in Turkey can rise.

Thus, we can deduce that the argument that “If Turkey becomes a member, the Turkish workers would invade the Europe” is completely wrong. In fact, the European workers may invade the Turkish economy.

Political challenges

“[T]he institutional structure of Turkey is not ready for such a position.”

The EU has a complex institutional structure. The Commission, Council, Parliament, Central Bank and many other institutions work unlike the institutional structure of Turkey. Also, most of the political decisions within the EU are taken in supranational or inter-governmental negotiations. Unfortunately, the institutional structure of Turkey is not ready for such a position.

Another important issue related to the argument above is based on the difficulty of applying the common policies of the EU to the Turkish politics. Especially the common foreign policy, common security policy and common monetary policy are always in the agenda. Because of this, when Turkey becomes a member, it has to share those common policies with other members.

Thus, if Turkey becomes a member of the EU, it has to share the EU’s institutional and political structures.

As a conclusion, cultural differences between Turkey and the EU, the possible effects of the corrupted European community, economic possibilities and some political challenges indicate that Turkey should not become a member of the EU.

Endnotes

  1. The word coming from Arabic language “Sultan” is the Emperor of the Ottoman Empire. They are the highest rulers that are the members of the Ottoman dynasty.
  2. The word coming from Arabic language “Caliphate” is a form of political-religious leadership which centres on the caliph to the prophet Muhammad, the final prophet that was sent for the whole humanity by the almighty the Allah. The position of a caliphate can be seen as the position of the Pope in the Catholic world.
About the author:

haci mehmetHacı Mehmet Boyraz (21) is a student of International Relations with Political Science and Public Administration at Gediz University in İzmir.

Muslims praying in a mosque, Spotlight Europe

Why Shouldn´t Turkey Become a Member of the EU? (3/4)

Posted on by Hacı Mehmet Boyraz
Muslims praying in a mosque, Spotlight Europe
The Muslim religion as a cultural argument why Turkey shouldn´t become a member. (Flickr: Magalie L`Abbé/licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0)

This is the third part of a 4-part series, discussing the pros and cons of an accession of Turkey to the European Union from all angles. Check the blog regularly or sign up to our newsletter to be notified as soon as the final part is available. Find the other parts here: First / Second

In the previous 2 blogs I tried to explain why Turkey should become a member of the EU from both the EU’s and Turkey’s perspectives. In this and the following blog, I am focusing on the reverse: “Why shouldn’t Turkey become a member of the EU from the EU’s and Turkey’s perspective?”. In this blog, I am arguing from the EU’s perspective.
The main arguments in this passage are based on the problematic situation of Turkey’s neighbours, the uncertainties in the Turkish economy and politics, Turkey’s extremely big population, cultural difference in case of religion and some lacks in liberal democracy.

Problematic neighbours

Israeli West Bank barrier, Spotlight Europe
Borders and conflicts in the Middle East (Flickr: Ingmar Zahorsky/licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

The most important difficulty for Turkey with regard to the membership is its very critical geopolitical location because when Turkey becomes a member, the border of the European Union at the east and north-east will extend to the Middle East and Caucuses, one of the most problematic areas in the current global politics. If we look at the map, we can easily see that Turkey is surrounded by anti-democratic states including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Russia. All of these states have different internal issues which force them to be undemocratic. Because none of them is interested in a “win-win” idea, there is no stability in the region for a long time. Furthermore, the most prominent two problems “ISIS” and “Syrian refugees” make Turkey’s regional policy weaker because both of them are the problems that have political and security aspects. Thus, if Turkey becomes a member of the EU, the EU will have to face such problems as these because of the common foreign and security policies.

“[T]his possible membership will force the EU to change its foreign and security policies.”

Behind the EU’s own ongoing problems including the Ukrainian problem with Russia, it will face more and more problems. Related to this issue, if Turkey becomes a member of the EU, the EU will have to open its borders to Turkey, so the refuges and migrants will arrive to Europe via Turkey. This would force the EU to change its migration policy. Briefly, this possible membership will force the EU to change its foreign and security policies. From this point of view, Turkey should have to wait a little bit longer.

Uncertainty in economy and politics

Although the Turkish economy has been for a decade developing in a positive way, it has still structural, fiscal and monetary problems. Especially the percentage of unemployment is still about 10% which is above the EU’s criteria. This is a structural problem in the Turkish economy, so in order to solve it it will take a long time. Also, inflation, another structural economic problem, the taxation system and the economic inequalities within the society are still visible. Thus, the membership of Turkey economically seems a little bit early.

A huge population

Another handicap of Turkey is its big population. Today’s population is about 75 million (without the refugees) but will be 80 million by 2020, so this is really too big for the EU to absorb it in short-run. Thus, Turkey’s population can change the EU’s demographic structure.

Religion as a cultural difference

“Turkey’s membership will be a signal.”

As a reality, most of people in the Islamic world see the EU as the Union of Christians. From this point of view, as having a 95% Muslim population, Turkey’s membership will be a signal that Europe is open to the Islamic world. However, this is really debatable because although there are millions of Muslims living in Europe, Turkey’s membership will bring 80 million new Muslims to Europe, so this is a situation that can change the demographic structure of the EU too.

Lack on liberal democracy

Honestly speaking, Turkey still has problems with human rights, women rights, labour rights and homosexual rights. Although the state has been improving on these issues for a couple of years, this is a long-time tradition. Thus, while the EU still has some problems with the consolidation of former member states, integrating Turkey will impose new problems on the EU.

To sum it up: The problematic neighbours, the uncertainty in economy and politics, a big population, the cultural difference in case of religion and lacks in liberal democracy indicate that Turkey will need a decade at least to become a member of the EU.

About the author:

haci mehmetHacı Mehmet Boyraz (21) is a student of International Relations with Political Science and Public Administration at Gediz University in İzmir.

How Many Rights Can Be Violated at Once?

Posted on by Anathea Cristea
Room in an abandoned hospital, European Spotlight
Hospital Room (Flickr:Luca Rossato/licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

September 15, 1985:
Valentin Câmpeanu is born. He is a Romanian citizen of Roma ethnicity abandoned by his mother at birth and placed in a foster home.

1990:
Valentin is considered to be part of the severe disability group, having “profound mental retardation” and “an IQ of 30”. He is also confirmed to be HIV-positive, a virus he contracted during the pregnancy.

2003:
The boy turns 18 and is meant to be on his own. However, because of his condition the government is forced to take responsibility for him.

February 5, 2004:
Valentin is placed in a medical institution that supposedly suits his needs, after his medical file reads “average disability group” and signs of “social integration”.

February 6/7,2004:
He starts feeling agitated and is violent towards members of staff and other patients.

February 9, 2004:
Valentin is taken to Poiana Mare Neuropsychological Hospital (PMNH) for examination.

February 13, 2004:
The boy is once again taken to PMNH, this time for four to five days of psychiatric therapy.

February 1,9 2004:
He stops eating and taking his medication. He is prescribed an IV treatment. He is however found to be in a damaged state.

February 20, 2004:
A group of volunteers from the Centre for Learning Resources (CLR) is inspecting the PMNH and finds Valentin in horrible conditions, with only his pyjama blouse on, in a cold room and with no help to eat or use the bathroom, which at that time he could not do alone. They inform the hospital staff, however on that night Valentin is found dead.

His story did not end there. In the following days, the CLR decided to pursue legal action against the Romanian government which has obviously misplaced Valentin and mistreated his medical condition. They take the case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), even though Valentin is dead and he cannot file a claim anymore. Until this case, the ECHR has not accepted any case on behalf of deceased clients. For 10 years, the NGO CLR had fought alongside Interights, a London-based charity which offers legal consulting services, to move the case further and prove the importance of bringing justice to Valentin Câmpeanu to the authorities.

In 2014, a decision has been made, a historical one we could say. The grand jury of the ECHR ruled in favour of Valentin Câmpeanu and sentenced the Romanian government to pay € 25,000 to CLR and € 10,000 to Interights, for the costs involved in maintaining the lawsuit.

“Given the timeline of Valentin’s life and the improper and poor manner in which he has been taken care of, there is no doubt the Romanian Government need to be held accountable for his death. However, the sentence given by the ECHR is questionable.”

Given the timeline of Valentin’s life and the improper and poor manner in which he has been taken care of, there is no doubt the Romanian Government need to be held accountable for his death. However, the sentence given by the ECHR is questionable. The purpose of this lawsuit seemed to make the Romanian civil society as well as the political class aware of the situation in the medical system and of what should be the repercussions of negligence towards citizens. But instead of asking the Romanian government, for example, to implement a self-regulating system of the medical institutions, in particular those dealing with members of minorities, which could be overseen by an NGO, they sentenced the government to only pay money to the two NGOs that have supported the case in court. Asked how the money will be used, a representative from Interights responded that “the money represent the expenses of the organisation that have supported the case in court and in front of authorities for ten years. Therefore the money will be used however they find it appropriate, limited by their charitable purpose.”

It is thus difficult to say whether there won’t be any other case like Valentin Câmpeanu’s in Romania; it is yet unknown whether the Romanian government will take the necessary measures to regulate the irregularities in the medical sector. The fate of Romania’s parentless, disabled and Roma-ethnical citizens is still undecided.

About the author:

Picture Anathea Cristea 1Anathea (19) is a member of the Youth Council for the Future. She is involved in “My Europe” since the workshop in Bucharest in 2011.

How the EU Can Deal with Chaos on Its Borders

Posted on by Prof. Ludger Kühnhardt
Commissioner Johannes Hahn at the Baltic Development Forum, SpotlightEurope
Commissioner Johannes Hahn at the Baltic Development Forum,2011 (Flickr:Baltic Development Forum/licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

The planned ring of friends around the European Union has turned into a zone of chaos and uncertainty. In the new European Commission, policies for enlargement and neighbourhood policies fall under Austrian Commissioner Johannes Hahn. He faces an uphill struggle. Bereft of convincing incentives, Europe’s unique ‘neighbourhood policy’ can no longer promote its noble goals. Instead it produces the opposite: disillusionment within the EU, and disdain in neighbouring regions and in the power centres that stand behind them, whether they are in the Kremlin or somewhere in the Middle East.

“Most of the controlling forces behind Europe’s neighbours no longer believe in benevolent integration and transformation.”

Most of the controlling forces behind Europe’s neighbours no longer believe in benevolent integration and transformation. The EU has to deal with a wide and difficult world that encompasses the problems of Sahel, Russia and the Caucasus, piracy and terror in eastern Africa and even the kidnapping of Europeans in southeast Asia. The bitter truth is that, 100 years after the first world war, Europe is no longer exporting stability around the globe. For the first time, it is importing instability, through terrorism, illegal migration, cyber-crime and other forms of destabilising activity on and across its borders.

As Commissioner Hahn knows from his own country’s history, the EU can offer only one real incentive towards those it tries to link to its values and interests: EU membership. Yet any further enlargement is off the table at least until 2019. This is bad news for Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo and, of course, Turkey.

The EU’s neighbourhood policy is falling a long way short of its aim of extending European values and instruments and helping develop a common market. The policy, in effect since 2004, involves a large budget, with €15.4bn due to be spent between this year and 2020. The Treaty of Lisbon gives the neighbourhood policy quasi-constitutional status. The policy has met some success in a technocratic sense since 2004. But this year the environment has suddenly turned darker.

“The neighbours are no longer consumers of European ideas”

Neighbourhood policy, by definition, is a paternalistic concept. Its objectives cannot be fulfilled in the climate of revolutionary turmoil to the south and east of the EU’s borders. The neighbours are no longer consumers of European ideas; instead, they are agents of change in their own right. Ukraine may be drawn toward the EU more than any other place in the east; Tunisia may be more promising than any other southern state. But even these two countries, no matter how hard they try to keep to the neighbourhood policy precepts, know they will not receive the prize of EU membership as a reward for their achievements.

Their struggle shows that Europe should proceed on a case by case basis rather than directing well-intentioned but ultimately useless policies towards diverse neighbouring countries grouped into irrelevant categories. The EU needs appropriate tools for specific countries in improving standards in areas like health, tax and anti-trust regulations. These should be integrated into general EU work.

The new Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policies should reset his priorities by striving to eliminate his own job. The aim should be to complete EU Balkan enlargement as soon as possible. The Commission should then consign into oblivion a portfolio that has become a testament to the EU’s shattered illusions.

 About the author:

Ludger KühnhardtLudger Kühnhardt, member of the OMFIF Advisory Board, is Director at the Center for European Integration Studies, Bonn University. He is author of European Union – The Second Founding and editor of Crises in European Integration. This article was originally published by OMFIF.

A Ghost Is Haunting Europe

Posted on by Dieter Sattler
florriebassingbourn_flickr_ukip
UKIP wants the United Kingdom to leave the EU (Flickr:florriebassingbourn/licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

A ghost is haunting Europe. It is the spirit of Euro-skepticism. In almost all western countries, and now with the rise of the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) also in Germany, Euro-skeptic parties are on the rise. The United Kingdom, some sort of Mecca for Euro-skeptics, is close to leaving the Union altogether.

What went wrong?

It would be too easy to revile the audience and accuse people of not being on par with the noble idea of Europe. There will always be a few backwards looking Euro-skeptic elements in society, but the current events go far beyond the usual. The thriving of critique aimed at Europe can partially be blamed on the failure of political and economic elites. This can be seen in France especially. Who should the pro-European yet critical citizen vote for at the moment? The socialists of President Francois Hollande perhaps? He has failed on all issues in his two and a half years in office and has driven the country into economic turmoil with his tax policy, all the while blaming the Germans and their supposed austerity, the so-called l’austerité, for France’s struggles. More Europe – for Hollande that means accepting his debt policy. In the race for presidency, his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy of the conservative UMP is preparing to challenge the President. He gets along much better with Germany – but his title Monsieur “Bling-Bling” hints at his lack of integrity and seriousness. With his notorious proximity to the rich and the beautiful, he seems rather unfitting to reestablish trust in the political class of France. It is sad for France and Europa alike that the only remaining serious alternative seems to be the right-wing Front National with Marine Le Pen at its head.

The situation is particularly difficult in France but the underlying problem persists throughout Europe: The elites have pushed the European idea but failed to take the people along. The current President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, in light of his involvement in and partial responsibility for recent events in Luxembourg a symbol for failed EU policy, has once admitted how he fancies European policy making: you pass a law without asking the people, and if there is not too much opposition, you simply continue. One could add: This system prevails until the European Union has become a wild conglomerate of 28 member states of which many do not fulfill the criteria for membership.

The statement of former Head of Commission Jacques Delors bases on the same principle. He once said that EU policy making is like riding a bike. A bike has to continuously move forward. If it stopped, it would simply fall over. This approach has caused an increasing detachment of EU policy making on the one hand from EU member states and their citizens on the other.

Spotlight Europe Anti EU
Anti-EU-sticker in Malmö, Sweden (Flickr:jonsson/licensed under CC BY 2.0)

It essentially laid the basis for the mistrust brought forward towards the EU and Brussels that then downright exploded with the onset of the financial and debt crisis. Since then, an unrestrained fight over how far the European community of joint liability should reach and in how far it should impact the basic needs of citizens has begun.  While Greece is in a state of emergency and even cancer patients cannot be guaranteed to receive appropriate treatment, the Germans fear to be held liable for the failures of the Greek state. It did not even tax its richest members of society – and thus is bankrupt.

The southerners plus France bad-mouth the Germans as misers due to their reservation, the Germans retaliate by calling the other side lazy and wasteful. What can be done to counter this weariness with Europe?

There can be no doubt that Europe is without alternative. However, errors need to be admitted openly, and competencies need to be redirected towards member states and their national parliaments. Democracy functions best and predominantly at the root. The bigger an entity the less influence and identification of the individual with it. Only if EU politicians are open to relentless self-criticism, the course can be adjusted and lost trust won back. The appeal to European integration’s role in bringing peace to the continent, as recently renewed by former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, will not be enough. People have to really believe, feel and sense that Europe is important.

Currently, Europe resembles a flat share in which friends have moved together for the best of reasons but have begun fighting over everyday problems (who cleans? Who does the shopping? Who stuffs the fridge?). Those friends should not dissemble the flat share but urgently need to discuss the basis of living together and develop a healthy ratio of closeness and distance. Only then Europe will be able to regain its strength.  Europe has just proven how great it can be with its joint space project, the Rosetta mission. Unity is the only way to compete with the giants USA and China and make its voice heard.  That does not mean, however, that all European countries need to hum the same tune on all issues. Europe needs to leave room for solos of its member states. Only diversity can bring competitiveness and true solidarity.

Maybe it would not even be too bad if currency issues, in the event of a continued reliance on the Euro, would be approached with a greater level of independence of member states as is currently the case. If, however, the monetary union is to become further densified and extended, common rules need to be found and compliance with them strictly enforced. That would certainly be the better approach – and maybe we could overcome the ideological contradiction of growth and austerity after all.

About the author:


STF_0110s-800x1200pxDr. Dieter Sattler is Head Editor of the Politics department at Frankfurter Neue Presse. He studied Politics, German and Philosophy at Goethe University in Frankfurt.   more…

Should Turkey become a member of the EU? (2/4)

Posted on by Hacı Mehmet Boyraz

This is the second part of a 4-part series, discussing the pros and cons of an accession of Turkey to the European Union from all angles. Check the blog regularly or sign up to our newsletter to be notified as soon as the following parts are available. You will find the first part here.

In the previous article, I tried to clarify why Turkey should become a member of the EU from the EU’s perspective. In the second part, I will look at the issue from Turkey’s perspective instead.

7574046808_8f029dba9f_k
The Bosporus – Geographical Border of Europe and Asia (Flickr:sammsky/licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0)
Promoting democracy in Turkey via EU reforms

Turkey has been transforming itself into a more democratic country. Throughout its political history, Turkish people have seen 4 military coups, which made Turkey weak, but for a long time, Turkey has been enjoying that there has been no possibility of a new military coup. To be honest, this is due to the EU reforms made by today’s government. For example, the National Security Council was at the centre of Turkish politics because it was clear that it was often acting above the Grand National Assembly. When the negotiations between Turkey and the EU started, this issue (power of the Council) was one of the arguments against Turkey. The EU was right because in EU member states there is no such an institution which has more power than the National Assemblies. Today, Turkey is more democratic. Furthermore, the human rights record is much better; women’s rights are discussed every day; children’s rights are daily life’s debates and indeed animal rights are more visible… Thus, today, if we talk about rights, freedoms and related topics, the positive changes are due to the EU reforms, so when Turkey is a member, these values will be upheld better.

Travelling Europe without any visa

The most important benefit of being a member of the EU is of course “travelling Europe without any visa”. I, as a university student, like seeing new places but unfortunately since Turkey is out of the EU, I have to get visa every time. This makes me unhappy because every time I have to pay money, I have to collect documents, and I have to wait. However, when Turkey becomes a member, from Istanbul, an impressive city in Europe, to London, Paris, Berlin, Brussels, Amsterdam, Lisbon, and many other capitals in the EU member states, the Turkish people will be able to travel more…

Working together for global peace

“Turkey cooperates extensively with the EU on almost every policy field including foreign policy issues. Turkey’s contribution to the EU’s security and defence policy is really clear. The EU is Turkey’s main economic and political partner.  As a factor of stability in its region, Turkey’s membership to the EU would also contribute to regional and global peace and stability as well as the dissemination of universal values to a wider geography.” (1)

A greater voice in international arena
Europe-Turkey.svg
Turkey is the European Union’s gateway to Asia (The Emirr/licensced under CC BY 3.0)

When Turkey becomes a member of the EU, it will have a greater voice in the international arena because the EU as a whole would include 29 countries. Instead of being alone in issues, Turkey with its friends within the EU will rule with a common foreign policy. This will make Turkey stronger because the problems of Turkey will be shared by other members like the problems of the EU will be shared by Turkey.

Also, although Turkey is not a member of the EU, it is a member of the Customs Union. The EU is Turkey’s main trade partner. 40% of Turkey’s total trade is with the European Union. Every year, total trade between Turkey and the EU increases. This underlines the importance of the EU as a large and secure market for Turkey. By the way, Turkey as a member will have more shares in international trade.

All in all, Turkey has been a part of the European family for a long time. “Since the foundation of the Republic, Turkey has taken part in almost all European institutions, in most of them as a founding member. Turkey has made considerable contributions to the formation of the current European architecture through the constructive role it played within international organizations such as the Council of Europe, OECD, NATO and OSCE.” (2) So the membership of Turkey to the EU will be based on a “win-win” situation. Everybody will be more pleased…

References:
  1. http://www.mfa.gov.tr/questions.en.mfa (20.20.2014)
  2. http://www.mfa.gov.tr/questions.en.mfa (20.20.2014)
About the author:

haci mehmetHacı Mehmet Boyraz (21) is a student of International Relations with Political Science and Public Administration at Gediz University in İzmir.