TURKEY: EU MEMBERSTATE, OR THE NEIGHBOUR YOU NEED TO KEEP THE GARDEN CLEAN?
Jordi Wolf
Turkey has been trying to join the European family since the late 1990s. However, new bumps came on the road again and again. Europe is particularly concerned about human rights in Turkey and the offensive attitude of President Erdogan. The president announced this Wednesday that he would not adhere to a completely ceasefire in Syria. Simply because he thinks that Turkey is only fighting a war against the '' terrorist '' Kurds.
Cihat Kara, 24, has a café in one of the many secluded streets near Taksim Square in Istanbul. In the largest city of Turkey, the difference in economic and political classes is clearly visible. If you walk into the biggest shopping street of Istanbul, the İstiklal Caddesi, from the side of taksim square, is all on your left side higher class. The people here often vote for the government party, the Ak party of President Erdogan. Here you can find the more modern restaurants full of tourist. The people here wear modern clothing. When you walk into one of the side streets you will find several restaurants where men in suits sit together to dine. People On the right side of the İstiklal Caddesi, whitch translates to Independence Street, you enter a totally different world. The people you meet here are people from the neighbourhood. They sit outside on small stools and discus the political situation. Despite the fact that the words are not positive, there is a lot of laughter during the conversations. Until you enter the cafe as a stranger and everyone is quiet. You enter a world were people are more than just critical of the current policy of the government. Also, a world where people are afraid to give their opinion.
Cihat, who has established his cafe on this right side of the big shopping street is not afraid. He is from Kurdish origin, a population group seen by the current president of Turkey as larger treat than ISIS. The situation with the Kurds is a story on itself. But Cihat knows what happens in his country if you do not agree with the current government. "A time ago I actually had to close my cafe. I received a fine from an official that I could not pay. The government is trying to pressure all his opponents through the police or this kind of things. Now we are sometimes open, but of course this is not part of the human rights you expect from a candidate member state of the EU''.
Good neighbour or bad friend?
Turkey and the EU, it's a bit of a weird combination. They are not friends, they are not enemies. They are neighbours who need each other. Need each other for trade, for the refugee crisis, for visa-free travel and as a gateway to the Middle East.
Turkey borders the EU but is not an EU member state. The EU does not speak with one voice when it comes to Turkey. Critics say that the norms and values of the country are to different from the European ones. They also think that a huge number of Turks would cross the border to other European countries to work or live at the moment that Turks are allowed to travel through Europe without a visa. But it is not just norms and values that make Europe doubt. Power is also at stake. Because Turkey has a large number of inhabitants, it would become one of the most powerful member states inside the EU.
Yet there are also positive reasons to think of accepting Turkey as a member state. In this way, the country could play an even greater role as a bridge to the middle east. Accession will also prove that Europe is united by diversity. Currently no Muslim country is a member of the EU. Although it seems that Europe will break this taboo sooner through the Islamic Balkan countries then through Turkey.
Graffiti in Istanbul that shows that freedom of expression is under pressure in Turkey
The discussions have been going on for a long time
In 1987 Turkey requested the EEC, the EU body before adopting its current name, for accession. The European Council then indicated that accession would be possible in the long term. From 1999, Turkey was officially recognized as a candidate member state. The negotiations for accession have been very difficult so far. After Erdogan wanted to increase his power even more through a referendum in 2017, there was even more criticism from the EU. On the 6th of July 2017, the European Parliament voted by a large majority to halt negotiations with Turkey for a while. Not only the European patience was running out. Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced that he was ready to leave the discussion about the Turkish membership. "Do not let us wait another fifty years."
The 2015 progress report form the European Commission, shows that Turkey is doing well in a number of areas. Turkey is developing well economically and, according to the report, it could deal with the competition on the European market. Turkey could also play an important role against extremism. But in particular the attitude of the Turkish state towards journalists and the Kurds causes doubt.
Erdogan says he is done with the European negotiations and thinks that Turkey has long been ready to join the EU. According to him, the European Union is placing more and more demands on accession. "When we ask for the reason why we are not yet a member of the EU jet, the EU cannot tell us, and at first they were prevented by 15 [EU policy] chapters, later the number of cases was 35." It is not only Erdogan who doubts whether there should be any further by now. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that ‘’Turkey should not be a member of the EU’’. She said that just before the elections in her country last year.
How realistic is the chance that Turkey once belonged to the EU?
According to Turkey expert Lily Sprangers, Formerly working for the Turkey institute in the Netherlands, the opportunity that Turkey will ever be part of the EU is not that great. The expert even thinks that it will never happen. "The negotiations between the EU and Turkey look like a fake negotiation. Nobody dares to pull the plug. But both parties do not have the illusion that this will ever succeed ''.
According to Sprangers, the negotiations are part of a political game. Europe, in her eyes, needs Turkey for the refugee deal and the problems in the region. But Turkey needs Europe to show that it is a reliable country. '' When you negotiate with Europe, that is of course good for your status abroad. It shows that you are reliable, and then countries want to trade with you. But Erdogan's government does not even want to be part of the EU ''.
Sprangers say that the Turkish population is not concerned about the negotiations between the EU and Turkey at all. The Turkey expert says that people do not really talk about this after they wake up on Monday morning. According to her, you see polarization between the people who want to belong to Europe and those who are okay with the situation that Turkey stands alone.
According to the expert, Europe does not have to be so scared that Turkey pull the plug out of the refugee deal. It was agreed that Turkey would receive more refugees and better guard the borders. In return, Turkey would receive more financial support and talk about visa-free travel from Turks to the EU countries. At this moment, Turks who want to visit European countries still need a visa. ''We must not forget that Turkey needs us much more than the other way around ''. On the 19th of March 2016, the EU concluded a deal with Turkey. Despite the fact that the refugee deal with the Turks will continue, according to Sprangers, the visa-free travel options will not be possible for a while. In her view, the EU uses that as a reward and at the moment Europe does not want to give any rewards to the Turkish state at all. And that while the government of Erdogan sees this point as a high priority one. The Turks see it as an insult, according to expert Springers, that they always have to pick up a visa to travel to European countries.
Human rights and the rule of law
The problem between Turkey and Europe is not only visible in the discussion about visa-free travel. The countries that want to negotiate with the EU about possible accessions have to meet many requirements. Human rights and an independent constitutional state are leading in this. However, we can say that, especially after the coup attempt on the 16th of July 2016, that human rights are under heavy pressure in Turkey. There is no country in the world where more journalists are in prison, many demonstrators are in prison without trial and the Turks talk about the reintroduction of the death penalty.
Turkey has tried to implement many political reforms over the past year. A lot of EU member states criticism Turkey about human rights and the rule of law. A lot was achieved in a number of years. For example, the death penalty was abolished, minorities received more rights and men and women were legally equal. But after the coup, we can say, a lot of these reforms have been thrown into the trash
Minority groups in particular do not feel represented in Turkish politics. This is because Turkey has an electoral threshold of 10% before you can actually start a association or political party. A ‘electoral threshold’ means; the minimum share of the primary vote which a candidate or political party requires to achieve before they become entitled to any representation. As a comparison, most European countries such as Germany and Belgium have an electoral threshold of between 4 and 5 percent.
Ruud Bosgraaf of Amnesty International is therefore also very concerned. "Freedom of expression is under enormous pressure. There is no change of honest processes anymore. And of course, you will never become a member of the EU if you reinstate the death penalty''. Bosman refers to ideas from the Erdogan government to reinstate the death penalty in order to punish the people behind the coup harder.
Amnesty does not have it easy in Turkey. The human rights organization is still trying to get their own president, Taner Kiliç, out of prison. Kiliç is in jail on suspicion of supporting terrorist organizations. In June, a judge said Kiliç would be released. However, this statement has been reversed and the chairman of Amnesty International in Turkey will now be brought before another judge. The problem according to Bosman is that you cannot talk about human rights in Turkey at all. ‘’This is seen as an attack on the state. In more neighbouring countries of the EU you can say that a lot has to be done, if we talk about human rights. But often the conversation is still possible. That is unfortunately different in Turkey.''
Turkey and Europa flirt again with each other without success
Despite the many events that have taken place in the last two years, Turkey and the EU are trying to get closer together again. Last month, European President Donald Tusk and Committee Chairman Jean-Claude Juncker announced in a letter to Erdogan that they wanted to get on speaking terms again. The two would like to talk about the mutual relationship but also about the developments in Turkey and the region. The Netherlands and Germany in particular experience difficulty in restoring the relations.
Last year, two Turkish ministers were not admitted to the Netherlands to argue for the referendum to give Erdogan more power. Turkey reacted violently and it caused a diplomatic riot. After Erdogan won the referendum, a cautious approach was again sought for the Netherlands and Germany. Both parties, however, demand an excuse for the riot from the other party, and that does not seem to happen.
Despite a new flirtation from the EU with Ankara, a good relationship seems far away. The Netherlands announced this week to label the Armenian massacre in 1915 as genocide. In that year, according to the Armenian government, 1.5 million Armenian people were killed. Only three Turkish Dutch politicians voted against the choice of word for 'genocide'. Turkey is furious at the Netherlands and called the highest top diplomat in Turkey for an explanation. So we can say that this neighbours quarrel will continue for a while. But both parties do not have the options to move. So there will be some reconciliation attempts in the coming years.
One of the many buildings in Istanbul on which the Turkish flag and the old Turkish leader Ataturk can be seen.
NUMBERS WITHIN A MONTH AFTER THE COUP:
ARRESTED:
Total: 9000 Arrested
6.000 soldiers
2,745 judges and prosecutors
103 generals and admirals
TURKS WHO HAVE BEEN DISMISSED OR SUSPENDED:
15,200 civil servants at the Ministry of Education;
8,777 civil servants at the Ministry of the Interior;
8,000 police officers;
1,500 civil servants at the Ministry of Finance;
492 employees at the Department of Religious Affairs, including clerics,
pastors and religious teachers.
393 civil servants at the Ministry of Family and Social Affairs
AND:
- the teacher authority of 21,000 teachers on private institutions has been withdrawn
- the resignation of 1,577 rectors and deans at universities is required;
