Turkey and The E.U.

By Teflah Alajmi

At the beginning of this year, The European Union declared Bulgaria and Romania full membership in the organization. Meanwhile there are still other countries such as Croatia and Turkey who are candidates for admission. Turkey’s ambition to join The European Union is considered a controversial issue among political decision makers and even between European and Turkish people.

The relationship has many aspects that sometimes the relation encounters tension. The European Union since recent years started its enlargement. This means the EU will open the negotiation process with countries that it considers candidates and ensures that they follow the EU criteria so they can merge into the Europe community.  Indeed, Turkey started accession negotiations in October 2005 which represents significant steps in political and economic terms.

What are the conditions, which regulate the negotiations accession?
There are numerous obligations turkey should follow to be able to complete the accession negotiations and then consider full membership in The EU. Priorities fall into two terms, short and medium which are considered the main instrument for providing Turkey with the guidelines in its negotiations for accession :

Short term priorities:
• Democracy and the rule of law including strengthening public administration by means of reforms, civil and military relation, the judicial system and anti- corruption policy .
• The observance of international human rights legislation.
• Civil and political rights involving the prevention of torture and ill treatment, access to justice, freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly and freedom of religion.
• Economic and social rights ,involving women’s rights, trade union rights, minority rights, cultural rights and the protection of minorities, the situation in the east and the southeast.
• Regional issues and international obligations, involving Cyprus, the peaceful settlement of border disputes, obligations under the Association Agreement and economic criteria.
• Assuming the obligations of membership, namely the requirements steaming from the acquis, as constituted by European Union policies and legislation , both primary and secondary.

Medium term priorities
• Economic criteria concerning privatization, reform of the agricultural sector, the pension and the social security system, education and health.
• Ability to assume the obligation of membership in areas of community activity earmarked in the accession partnership.

The short-term priorities should take place within one to two years, and the medium priorities should take place from three to four years. Throughout Europe the argument that surrounds Turkey’s negotiation accession revolve around a series of issues, centering from demographic through geographic to political. After the 2004 decisions, a lot of consequences accompanied it. Meanwhile this decision faces numerous cases of acceptance and contractors among supporters and adversaries inside Europe and even inside Turkey it self. We predict that if Turkey implements all European Union criteria and priorities, it will advance to admission maybe next few years.

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