Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-12-13-Speech-1-069"
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"en.20041213.10.1-069"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I am speaking on behalf of the New Italian Socialist Party, which declares its support for the Eurlings report and hence for the opening of negotiations with Turkey.
Turkey’s accession would confirm the nature of the European Union as an open, tolerant society that draws strength from its diversity and is bound together by shared values of freedom, democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights. Furthermore, since it offers an alternative model to the closed, sectarian society proposed by Islamic fundamentalists, Europe could play an invaluable role in future relations between the West and the Islamic world.
In more general terms, there is no doubt that, at a time when Europe is committed to taking on greater responsibilities in world politics, Turkey’s accession would considerably strengthen the Union’s ability to become a major actor on the international political stage, especially in hotspots such as the Middle East, the Black Sea basin, the southern Caucasus and central Asia. In addition, as confirmed by the OECD, Turkey’s accession could give added value to Europe’s economic weight in the world, because of its huge geographical area, its considerable natural resources and its young, highly qualified workforce.
The opening of accession negotiations will be both a point of arrival and a point of departure. It will be a point of arrival because Turkey’s first request to join the then European Economic Community dates right back to 1959. Over the intervening years the country has modernised and achieved some important results as a result of incisive reforms and innovations that have taken place especially in the last two years. The opening of negotiations will, however, also be a point of departure, since the duration and outcome of the negotiations, which can start as soon as Turkey meets the Copenhagen political criteria, will depend on the progress made, particularly with regard to the economy and the Community
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The European Union and Turkey thus appear to be united by a major challenge: to lay the foundations for tomorrow’s Europe together."@en1
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