La Turquie Dans L'union Européenne (anglais)

Why has been created the European Union?

It is necessary to go back up to 1945 to understand the reasons of its creation. We go out at this moment of war period in other words cities are destroyed, the demoralized and annihilated populations. It is politicians such as Jean Monnet, Robert Schuman from whom the ambition was to protect the peace. The first stage thus is to reconstruct everything but especially not to live again this nightmare. So, There 1951, 6 countries decide to establish the European Coal and Steel Community (ESCS): FRG, France, Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg and Netherlands.

The West thus reconstructs little by little, the United States will come to propose their financial "help" to the reconstruction, what we shall call the "Marshall plan". Between us, this help was hardly innocent because it allowed the United States afterward to sell their products to the countries of current Europe as the Coca-Cola, jeans, etc. In brief, this financial support proposed in 1947 and accepted by 16 countries of which Turkey contributed to the recovery of the various States.

The first idea of this Union was thus the mutual aid, the support of the post-war years and the preservation of the peace. Further to it, 6 founding countries wish to officialize their union. The treaty of Rome in 1957 so is to create which establishes the European Economic Community (EEC) then the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC), at the origin of the European Union such as we know it today.

A little later, the 6 aforementioned founding countries accepted the extension of their Union from 1973:

1973 : Great-Britain, Ireland and Danemark

1981: Greece

1986 : Spain and Portugal

1995 : Autria, Finland, Sweden

2004 : Cyprius, Malta, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech republic, Slovaquia, Slovenia

2007 : Romania et Bulgaria

2013 : Croatia

At present, there are still all in all 8 countries candidate, potential or official candidates, such as Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Turkey, Iceland, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo. We shall concentrate on the case of Turkey which is the country to be next to the EU since almost 30 years and which showed its hope to enter the EU in 1987. This membership was only recognized officially in 1999 during the European council of Helsinki.

Why so many expectations or waits for its EU accession?

Why other countries such as Croatia with which his request was examined after that of Turkey entered 2013?

What are the reasons of the refusal, which is at the origin of the blocking?

The European Union, a difficult union to enter.

" Turkey chose Europe and the West as the model of civilization for two centuries and was inspired by it for its company of political, economic and cultural modernization during the foundation of the Turkish republic by Atatürk in the 1920’s ", explains Nicolas Monceau, lecturer at the university of Bordeaux. Its entrance to the EU, seen as the outcome of this process, would be a major political success for the Turkish leaders. The latter made of the European integration a central axis of the Turkish foreign policy since the agreement of association with the EU in 1963. Turkey, member of the NATO, joined since most of the institutions of Europe: the Council of Europe, the OECD and made an agreement on a customs union with the Union in 1996.

The entrance to the European Union does not turn out finally so simple because of obligations and criteria to be filled.

First of all, to enter the European Union, it is necessary to satisfy certain conditions as we call the criteria of Copenhagen. These criteria were formulated by the European council during the summit of Copenhagen in June, 1993 to specify the conditions according to which " countries associated by the central and eastern Europe which desire for it can become member of the European Union ". The treaty on the European Union resumes in its version signed in 2007 these criteria for the article 49, the first paragraph, according to which: " any European State which respects the mentioned in the article values 2 and makes a commitment to promote them can ask to become member of the Union.

These criteria divide into 3 parts. Indeed, it is necessary:

- Of an implementation of " stable institutions guaranteeing the rule of law, the democracy, the human rights, the respect for minorities and their protection ";

- " A viable market economy as well as the capacity to face the competitive pressure and the strengths of the market inside the Union ";

- " The capacity to assume the obligations [of EU accession], in particular to subscribe to the objectives of the political, economic and monetary union ".

Concerning Turkey, the geographical criterion is respected. Indeed, Turkey is for the border of current Europe, Greece and Bulgaria being for its West extremity and at the same time on the border of the other Muslim countries such as Syria, Iraq and Iran. Then, the economic criterion is also respected. Indeed, Turkey which has for capital and political city Ankara has for economic city Istanbul which knows one of the most higher growth of the countries of Europe (4 %). This evolution is largely due to the household consumption and the public spending. The condition of a viable market is thus performed as well as that of the economic and monetary union.

These two conditions are also the ones which frighten the members of the European Union. Indeed, Turkey is a gigantic country with a population amounting to 80 million people. An economy in progress, what would lead Turkey to carry an important place within the European institutions. Furthermore, Turkey is a Muslim country thus he would establish the first one to enter the EU. Is the EU ready to implement(operate) its slogan " united in the diversity "?

I think so provided that all the criteria of membership are filled !

The problem of the political criterion in other words the implementation of stable institutions guaranteeing the rule of law(State subject to the rule of law) raises however, the democracy, the human rights, the respect for minorities and their protection.

Turkey is according to its constitution,

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