Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-12-13-Speech-1-094"
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"en.20041213.10.1-094"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, if Turkey really does achieve the legal, social and economic progress described in the Eurlings Report that is before us and moves further along the road that leads to democracy, then we should rejoice. Turkey is one of the European Union’s allies and partners, and has for some time enjoyed something akin to a privileged partnership, but this cannot in the least change the fact that it should never become a full Member State of the European Union and will never really be a European country. If this House really wants to be the assembly representing Europe’s citizens, it will now have to send out a clear message, as a vast majority of the public – as we all know – is opposed to Turkey joining the EU. If, then, we are now to begin accession negotiations with Ankara, we will be treating the will of the people with disdain. We learn, indeed, from all experience of the EU to date that the commencement of negotiations means that they will be brought to a favourable conclusion sooner or later – generally sooner rather than later. Nor is Mr Erdogan, the Turkish Prime Minister, leaving any doubt about the fact that the negotiations have, for him, but one objective, that being full membership without reservations. Much has been said about ‘open-ended negotiations’, but we know that Ankara is not interested in those.
Full membership for Turkey, though, would mean that this European Union would be massively over-stretched in geopolitical terms and would become involved in the hot spots of the Middle East. It would be placed under financial and economic strain far in excess of its capacity; nobody would be able to fund Turkey’s accession to the EU. Moreover, Europe’s cultural identity, which has evolved through history would without doubt be fundamentally undermined by the presence of a Muslim Member State, and the mass immigration of millions of unemployed young Turks – which is a certainty – would result in a series of social and economic catastrophes …"@en1
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