Turkeys National Tank Altay MBT And Male Uav Tiha In IDEF- 11

Is Turkey going cold on EU membership?

As Europe limps along economically and struggles to speak with a single voice on… well almost anything, and at a time when the EU's two flagship projects - free movement and the single currency - are coming under massive strains, the contrast between the bloc and perennial candidate country Turkey could not be starker.

In 2010, the EU-27’s GDP grew by 1.8%, while in comparison, Turkey’s GDP grew by 8.2% over the same period (and by a phenomenal 150% since 2003), with steady growth of 4.6% projected for 2011. In parallel to its strong economic performance, Turkey is also becoming increasingly self-assertive on the world stage, most notably when, together with Brazil, it took the diplomatic initiative over the Iranian nuclear programme last year.

It now seems as if the increasingly confident Turks are turning against the idea of EU membership. Only 38% expressed support for the idea last year, compared with 73% in 2004. That's a spectacular drop.

Should this be of concern to the EU? Most definitely.

Irrespective of the pro and cons of Turkey joining the EU, Brussels' approach to this issue really represents the worst of all worlds. By constantly sending mixed signals about whether or not Turkey is in fact welcome - the EU risks antagonising a country that it really needs on side. Do you really want to tick off a country that is up and coming, possessing a huge market (that Europe's struggling economy desperately needs) - and whose geo-strategic importance is second to none?

France in particular, but also to some extent Germany, have not exactly encouraged the country's attempt to gain full EU membership despite the fact that Turkey has been an official candidate country since 1999 and in accession talks since 2005. You'd forgive Turks for feeling insulted by being messed around by the EU. This is now reflected in Turkish public opinion.

The problem with the EU's mixed-signals approach is that it could push Ankara in to the arms of far less pleasant countries, such as Iran. That would be a spectacular own goal for Europe.

It is also possible that full EU membership is becoming less appealing for the Turks for other reasons. A union in which debt is being past around and several countries are on the dole - and control over a country's political and economic future is partly in other peoples' hands - just isn't that attractive. While many in Europe are worried they would end up having to subsidise Turks, the idea of being asked to bail out troubled eurozone members (least of all Greece!), can hardly be appealing to the Turks either.

But there's another side to this which is often overlooked. Just as the EU has in the past acted as a driving force behind modernisation and reform in Turkey (albeit with mixed results), so Turkey could contribute to some badly needed reforms in the EU. An EU which has Turkey as a full member simply would have to withdraw from some crucial policy areas where it has over-stepped its mark in the past. Justice and Home affairs for example, where EU integration has made some quantum leaps over the last few years. Or the Common Agricultural Policy, which would probably implode if Turkey were to join, or the Structural Funds, or the excessive use of Qualified Majority Voting (as Turkey would instantly become the most powerful country in the Council of Ministers due to its size). In other words, Turkey's size and composition could in fact be a strong argument in favour of the country joining - at least for those of us who want to see some real and radical EU reform.

In fact, the UK of all member states ought to consider the strategic benefits of using the issue to build momentum for institutional reform within the EU. The EU could also draw lessons from Turkey’s dynamic economic performance which will be crucial to the continent’s future prosperity, especially in the context of Europe’s looming demographic crisis. Clearly, there are significant problems with the Turkish candidature that would have to be overcome, from the Cyprus issue to the status of the Kurdish minority, so it is important not to jump the gun here.

But for politicians - in the UK and beyond - ruling out the prospect of Turkey of tomorrow joining the EU of tomorrow would be a pretty serious mistake.

Turkey: Eyes on prosecutors as complaints against coup leaders near 1,000

All eyes have now turned to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office to initiate legal action against the leaders of the Sept. 12, 1980 coup d’état, as nearly a thousand criminal complaints have now been filed against the coup leaders since a referendum that made possible such action was held last year.

The people of Turkey took a landmark step in September of last year and grasped the opportunity to come to terms with the dark years of the ‘80s by approving a referendum for a 26-article constitutional reform package that paved the way for the trial of the perpetrators of the Sept. 12, 1980 military coup by abolishing Article 15 of the Constitution. Until then, this article had given immunity to leaders of the coup.

Since the referendum, many victims of the coup as well as anti-coup groups have been waiting for legal action to be initiated against the coup leaders. On Sept. 13, 2010, the day after the referendum, many individual victims and civil society organizations applied to prosecutors’ offices demanding that the former president and chief of General Staff, Gen. Kenan Evren, and his collaborators face trial for crimes against humanity, which took place primarily between 1980 and 1983.

In a move to consolidate all these complaints, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office sent a circular to all prosecutors’ offices across Turkey in January asking that all complaints filed against the 1980 leaders be forwarded to Ankara.

However, no legal process has yet been launched against the coup leaders. The prosecutor’s office is expected to make a final decision following debates on whether it is possible to try these generals for their crimes. The coup generals expected they were protected by the statute of limitations, which expired in 2000, 20 years after the military takeover. However, with an indictment filed by former prosecutor Sacit Kayasu in 2000, the statute of limitations for the coup generals was extended a further 10 years. Some argue that the statute of limitations expired in 2010, but many others strongly refute these arguments. Opponents say that staging a coup is a crime against humanity and that the statute of limitations does not apply to this crime.

The Sept. 12, 1980 military coup was the bloodiest and most well-planned coup during Turkey’s democratic journey, which has been stalled on a number of occasions by military interventions in politics.

The coup was a source of great suffering for many citizens. A total of 650,000 people were detained during this period, and files for 1,683,000 people were recorded at police stations. A total of 230,000 people were tried in 210,000 cases, mostly for political reasons. A further 517 people were sentenced to death, while 7,000 people faced charges that carried a sentence of capital punishment. Of those who received the death penalty, 50 were executed. As a result of unsanitary living conditions and torture in prisons, a further 299 people died while in custody. One hundred forty-four people died in circumstances where the perpetrators could not be found, while 14 perished during hunger strikes, 16 were shot to death while allegedly trying to escape from prison and 43 people committed suicide.

Source: Today's Zaman, March 4, 2011

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Turkey Joins Europe, Electrically Speaking
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Turkey may be frustrated in its bid to become part of the European Union, but by the end of September, it will join Europe’s electric grid.

Most electric systems in continental Europe — including those in countries like Poland and Romania — have synchronized currents, allowing electricity to flow easily from country to country. But other nations, including Great Britain, Norway, Sweden, Finland and until now, Turkey, have remained separate.

Turkey has been trying to connect for 10 years. Like Europe, it uses an alternating current, with the electrons dancing back and forth 50 times a second, but its system has been out of phase with the European grid.

Now, after extensive work by General Electric to enable Turkey’s system to connect, the country will join up for a one-year trial, according to the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity. >>> Matthew L. Wald | Monday, September 06, 2010

Transforming Transit in Istanbul
CNN: Istanbul is undertaking one of the world's biggest transport projects. CNN's Richard Quest reports.

A vacuous slogan?

The European Parliament today held a hearing entitled "Unity in Diversity", one of the EU's more hypocritical slogans, on the role that religious belief should play in society after ratification of the Lisbon Treaty.

"Unity in diversity" is one of those wishy washy terms that often become rather meaningless. But wouldn't the EU be a much better place if this maxim, rather than that of "ever close union", was the one that prevailed, be it the EU's respect for religious differences to respect for the existing member states' differing legal systems, cultures and social and employment practices?

Guess that's not what the EU really meant though is it..