Turkey And Croatia To Enter EU?

EU has agreed to accession talks with Turkey and may start negotiations with Croatia as well. Austria was an obstacle for letting Turkey into EU-talks and demanded that Croatia should be granted negotiations for a future EU membership in return. Austria is Croatia´s pals and they put pressure for a "no Turkey in the EU" but "privileged partnership" between Turkey and EU instead. Croatia has been rejected membership negotiations because they failed to prosecute fugitive war criminals. Now the way is open for Croatia as well to start EU membership talks. Not tomorrow, but soon enough. Maybe...

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I wonder what the price will be. How much (or what) the different nations will have to pay for getting this deal into place. And that´s just for getting into negotiations. Turkey might (just might) get into the EU in 2014 at the earliest. A lot can happen until then. Personally I don´t think the EU has any future and I´m happy as long as Norway stay out of it (they are not in the EU). But that´s just how I feel.


BBC: "Talks with Turkey are expected to last at least 10 years"

Related Links:
BBC: Q&A: Turkey's EU entry talks
Analysis: EU views on Turkish bid (BBC)
BBC: Austria repeats Turkey objections
BBC: Deadlock delays EU Turkey talks
Analysis: Croatia in EU limbo (BBC)
BBC: Balkan war crimes pressure on EU
Europa - The European Union On-Line

[edit on 2006/4/25 by Hellmutt]

It appears last minute agreement was reached -

Turkey has officially begun membership talks with the European Union - the culmination of a 40-year campaign.

news.bbc.co.uk...

- Of course the Turkish have only been in negotiations since 1963 so obviously there is some ways to go yet!?

Despite Turley being clearly 'European' (check any history going back 2000yrs+ to early Roman times) it would appear that some are just desperate to establish 'a border' with the Muslim world and resurrect the old nonsense of a 'fortress Europe'.
Just because Turkey straddles both Europe and Asia (once here clear blessing).

As per when it has suited Europeans Turkey is vital, great and our best mate but when it doesn't there are all sorts of reasons never quite spelt out, hmmm?
No-one complained about their NATO membership during the cold war, eh?
Or their help for the allies (staying neutral and refusing Hitler rare and vital raw materials) during WW2.

Mind you, IMO, if Turkey had been a completely 'white' and so-called 'Christian' country and positioned just a tiny little bit further west she'd have been in (comparitively speaking) within mere months (as the last intake and Croatia show).

Cos who's kidding who here over what this is really all about, hmmm?

Originally posted by sminkeypinkey
Despite Turley being clearly 'European' (check any history going back 2000yrs+ to early Roman times) it would appear that some are just desperate to establish 'a border' with the Muslim world and resurrect the old nonsense of a 'fortress Europe'.
Just because Turkey straddles both Europe and Asia (once here clear blessing).

Well for one its a valid viewpoint to say that Turkey is not really part of the european continent. Needless to say that the vast majority of Turkey is beyond the undisputable historic continent border of the Bosporus. Personally I feel that Europe needs a strong influence in the Middle eastern region for the security and prosperity of both regions, but I have to admit that I am afraid to have a direct border to this melting pot. And it would lead to that the EU would be forced to provide a final stance on the Israel question (given the recent threats against Iran thats another political minefield)

I´d welcome Turkey into EU any day, but the geographical realities cant be changed. Id rather keep Turkey as puffer zone against this, but since there most probably wont be a public vote on this in my country, my most sincere hopes would be that the Middle Eastern region will stabilize in the course of the next decade. If so, welcome Turkey, but if not I say it is too dangerous.

No-one complained about their NATO membership during the cold war, eh?
Or their help for the allies (staying neutral and refusing Hitler rare and vital raw materials) during WW2.

I dont think that NATO membership and past allying should be a part of the consideration for an EU joining process. The interests and aims of NATO and EU are quite different. And lets not forget that Turkey would finally have to negotiate a Cyprus solution, respectively recognize its status as a country and withdraw its troops.

Mind you, IMO, if Turkey had been a completely 'white' and so-called 'Christian' country and positioned just a tiny little bit further west she'd have been in (comparitively speaking) within mere months (as the last intake and Croatia show).

AFAIK the main reason for the possible joining date is that the current EU budget that is under negotiations will go from 2007-2014. Once fully accepted, this budget will be rigidly set and is not flexible to integrate more countries than there are now. I have confidence that most EU representatives are aware of the fact that Turkey has had a long and successful secular development, and lets not forget Mrs. Ciller who was head of state long before a woman in that position was thought of in many "traditional" european nations.

So my guess is that the Islam only plays a very minor role in the decision process. More urgent would be the aforementioned budget problem and the doubtful political situation in many of the to-be bordering countries.

[edit on 5/10/2005 by Lonestar24]

Perhaps Turkey shouldn't be permited in until they cope to the greek genocide and ethnic cleansing that they did? And certainly not until Turkey and greece settle the Cyprus issue. Thats a rather intractable conflict, and Turkey has little reason to be motivated to do anything.

Then agian, if Turkey is in the EU, well, the EU must have some agreed upon framework for settling disputes between memberstates right?

IIRC it is part of the deal that Turkey resolves the Cyprus matter (read: recognize that damn country). In a similar way Croatia is bound to fully cooperate on the war criminals issue - which they already started as I have read.

[edit on 5/10/2005 by Lonestar24]

Originally posted by sminkeypinkey
Cos who's kidding who here over what this is really all about, hmmm?

Indeed.
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As if there aren't Turks in europe anyway. How does having Turkey within the restraints and limits of the EU system result in the 'islamificiation' of europe, any more that is already occuring?

I mean, if Turkey and armenia were switched, there probably wouldn't be a problem at all.