EU-Turkey: A Good Match?, Winter 2003

As the European Council in December 2004 nears, Vice-President of the European Parliament makes note of the progress Turkey has made while frankly pointing out the areas where Turkey still falls short of fulfiling the political criteria, emphasizing that Turkey is treated equally with the other candidate countries. Recognizing that the EU has an urgent need to strenghten its ability to influence the global and regional environment, Quadras notes that “the accession of a democratic, stable, highly populated country where a great majority of its people belongs to the Islamic faith would be a tremendously powerful message, confirming the ethical and political significance of the whole European project”. Stating clearly that the EU is built on the principle of unity and diversity, Quadras concludes by saying that as long as Turkey does her homework, 450 million fellow-Europeans will be waiting for her with their arms open...Please click here to read the text in full.