EU Governments at Odds with Their People

The European Union made its long-awaited decision on beginning negotiations with Turkey regarding its full membership in the organization. But Ankara still has a lot of lobbying to do: Fear of Islam and labor migrants dominates the streets of Europe.

The European Union made its long-awaited decision on beginning negotiations with Turkey regarding its full membership in the organization. But Ankara still has a lot of lobbying to do: Fear of Islam and labor migrants dominates the streets of Europe, as Lennart Lehmann reports.

photo: AP
Many European citizens are sceptical about letting Turkey on to the train to accession.

​​A majority of the people in the European Union disapprove of admitting Turkey, and not only in France and Germany.

A survey taken in the Netherlands showed 41 percent against, only 21 percent in favor. Forty-nine percent in Denmark, almost half of those surveyed, opposed launching admission talks with Ankara, 31 percent voted "yes.

The highest rate of disapproval is in Austria. Only Italians seem not to fear negative repercussions. If the surveys are accurate, 48 percent of Italians favor admitting Turkey into the EU, only 30 percent oppose it.

Chirac - Turkey's accession inevitable

Most governments, on the other hand, view the matter differently. Paris and Berlin have long supported Turkey for political reasons. President Jacques Chirac considers the accession of Turkey to be inevitable.

Tony Blair repeatedly stresses that having Turkey as an EU member "will be good for the EU and for Britain."

In Rome, only the nationalist Lega Nord opposes negotiations with Ankara. Governments of the most recent accession countries in East Europe have also spoken out in favor of Turkey – otherwise they would be partly calling into question their own accession arguments.

Opposition to accession from nationalist parties

Greek Minister President Kosta Karamanlis and a majority of the Greek opposition also favor admission. Only the nationalist splinter parties are dragging their feet.

On the whole, politicians in the Netherlands are in favor, even if they lack enthusiasm. But right-wing populist Greet Wilder could profit from the population's disapproval. The last survey showed that support for the declared opponent of Islam is growing.

A Turkey determined to join the EU has powerful opponents, especially at the parliamentary level in Austria, where survey results have intimidated every party.

Denmark's Social Democrats, sitting in the opposition, are reserved in their comments, whereas the ultra-right Danish People's Party is naturally firmly opposed.

The Vatican

The Vatican is among the most obdurate opponents of Turkey's accession, appealing to the Christian tradition of Europe.

The Red-Green coalition in Berlin vehemently opposes holding a referendum on the membership of Turkey. If the people had decided, remarked Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer recently, Berlin would not be capital, there would be no euro, and Willy Brandt's Ostpolitik would have failed.

In Paris, on the other hand, the opposition and some members of the government are calling for an open referendum.

Fear of competition from migrant workers

In a recent survey in France, 56 percent disapproved of admission for Turkey. People mostly fear a Turkish migrant wave that would worsen the situation on the job market. Twenty-five percent felt that a Muslim country has no place in a secular confederation of states.

And not only the French fear that Turkey would have too much influence in Europe. The country on the Bosporus, with 71 million people, would have the second largest population in the EU after Germany. It would also be the poorest.

A burden for taxpayers?

The gross social product is lower than that of Denmark, where only 5.4 million people live. The average pro-capita income, which converts into 2,790 dollars, is less than in Poland (5,270 dollars). Germans earn an average of 25,250 dollars, the British 28,530 dollars. Many Europeans fear that Turkey would unduly burden taxpayers.

Observers counter that Poland proves that the fear of Turkish labor migrants flooding Europe's labor markets is unfounded. Much more dangerous is the opening of Turkish borders to the European market – for Turkey itself: the country's much weaker economy could simply be bought up.

Lennart Lehmann

© Qantara.de 2004

Translation from German: Nancy Joyce