by Christina Pomoni

Created on: August 14, 2009   Last Updated: September 17, 2009

The accession negotiations between Turkey and the European Union began in 2005, on the grounds of the application for EU membership that Turkey had submitted in 1987. Today, after four years of negotiations the outcome remains tentative, mostly because the prospect of a Turkish EU membership raises much opposition and controversy evident discomfort among governments and citizens of the EU members.

Although Turkey gradually employs all the necessary political and economical reforms to meet the criteria for the European Union membership, there is a growing concern regarding its potential EU accession. The differences cited by those opposed to Turkish EU membership focus on the Muslim factor, geographical position, population size, inefficient agricultural sector, extreme protectionism for certain industries, unsettled external political conflicts, unsolved historical responsibilities, violation of human rights, relative social backwardness and limited civilian control over the armed forces.

In spite of any opposition, Turkish membership holds enormous promise for the current EU members, beyond the enlargement of the common market by 72 million consumers with an average purchasing power, and a substantial growth potential.

Widely regarded as a moderate voice in the Middle East, Turkey is respected as a fair facilitator of conflict resolution by both sides in the Arab-Israeli conflict. Despite the reaction of Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoan in the World Economic Forum of Davos, in January 2009, to roundly lambaste Israeli military actions, Turkey is seen as a peace maker in the Middle East. A potential EU membership would provide Turkey with greater credibility facilitating its positive role for the country and the broader region.

Turkish membership would lead to solid EU policies on the South. Developments in the Middle East have profound ramifications on Europe's stability and security, regardless if the EU shares direct borders with Iran, Syria or Iraq. Turkey, having a pivotal role at the center of the Eurasian region and having major political influence on the Turkic-language democracies in Central Asia, can automatically transform the EU to a global political player.

The accession of the Central & Eastern European (CEE) countries in 2004 has altered the setting of the European Union from a block of primarily rich industrial countries to a heterogeneous economic block with a growing number of transition economies. In this context, economic

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