No to Turkey's EU membership

There are many reasons why we should be against the entry of Turkey in the EU. Turkey's membership will harm Malta (and the rest of the EU) in many ways. Turkey's entry in the EU will bring many problems such as:

¤ tremendous financial costs

¤ political instability

¤ cultural shocks

¤ demographic changes

¤ uncontrollable immigration.

Let's take a look at the financial aspect. Turkey is a country with a population of 75 million people (which is approximately the population of the 10 new EU member states together). It is estimated that in 10 years' time its population will surpass that of Germany, thus possibly becoming the EU's largest state. Its economy is still far behind the EU's average. Let me give some economic facts about Turkey:

¤ GDP per capita (2004 est): $7,400 (Malta's GDP per capita in 2004 was $18,200 while the EU's average was $26,900).

¤ 35.9 per cent of Turkish workers work in the agricultural sector while only 4.5 per cent of the EU's workers work in this sector.

¤ Turkey's public debt is 74.3 per cent of its own GDP. The EU's regulations stipulate that this figure should not exceed the 60 per cent mark. Even Malta's figure (and you know that our government is bankrupt) is below Turkey's figure. Keeping in mind that Turkey will have to make more loans in order to develop, the 74.3 per cent figure is extremely high for a country that still needs to invest billions in infrastructure.

¤ Turkey's inflation rate is 9.3 per cent. The EU's average is 2.1 per cent while Malta's currently stands at 2.9 per cent. Keep in mind that there is also an EU law which states that the inflation must be kept below the three per cent figure.

These figures will definitely make you understand that Turkey's entry in the EU will affect the EU's economy in the same way that an anchor would affect a moving boat. It's true that Turkey's economy grew by over eight per cent last year, however it's also true that Turkey would still need half a century to reach the EU's average.

However, the financial aspect is just one of the reasons why we should not accept Turkey in the EU. Another aspect is the geographical. Twenty years ago Morocco applied to enter the EU but its application was rejected. The reason given was that the EU was (and still is) a union of European nations and therefore to be part of the EU you must be part of the European continent.

If you take a look at the map you will see that only three per cent of Turkey is part of Europe. The other 97 per cent is part of Asia. In fact, during the Roman times Turkey was known as Anatolia or Asia Minor. Now tell me, why should we accept an Asian country in the EU? Don't you think that such a decision could be a dangerous precedent which will attract other non-European countries (mainly Arab ones) to apply for EU membership? We won't be able to tell them no since we would have accepted Turkey. Reflect on this point.

Another aspect which we should take into account is security. To the east Turkey borders unstable or fundamentalist countries such as Iran, Syria and Iraq. Do you believe that the EU would be safer with such borders? I don't think so.

There's also the cultural aspect. Turkey is a Muslim country while Europe is predominantly Christian. It's obvious that the two religions are incompatible. Centuries of wars have shown us this. Turkey may seem secular but its population isn't. Remember that Turkey is not just Istanbul (which appears a western city). Central and Eastern Turkey are devoutly Muslim and this will make it difficult for Turkey to integrate in the EU. There can be cooperation between the EU and Turkey. However, membership would be far too much.

Muslims all over Europe are not integrating with the European society. Why should the Turks be different? In Germany there are millions of Turks and they definitely did not integrate.

Obviously, you can tell me, but the Turks will remain in Turkey. The answer is simply no. Last year a survey was carried out (and it was reported on Euronews) which showed that 44 per cent of the Turks (44 per cent of 75 million) would be willing to emigrate to Europe. Isn't 44 per cent rather a lot?

There's also the historical aspect. For centuries Turkey was Europe's enemy. But times do change, you might say. True, however Turkey still remained the ultra nationalistic state with an imperial mentality. A century ago Turkey committed a genocide of 1.5 million Christian Armenians. Today in 2005 they still haven't accepted responsibility for this action. Why should we accept a country which still has not come to terms with its violent past?

Remember also that this is the same country which in 1974 invaded Cyprus. Northern Cyprus is still occupied today by the Turkish army which keeps 40,000 soldiers on the island. To add salt to the wound, Turkey does not recognise the legitimate Cypriot government (which is an EU member).

These are the main reasons why I am against Turkey's membership of the EU. Don't get me wrong. I'm fully in favour of trade cooperation but never in favour of membership.

I would like to conclude by saying that if the Maltese government (and also the opposition) respect the Maltese people they should promise that when the time comes they will let the Maltese people decide (by means of a referendum) whether Malta should vote in favour or against Turkey's membership. This is our right.