The decision to become a member of the EU is, indeed, an important one. It will affect you politically, economically and socially. Turkey as a future member of the EU will remain Turkey, but Turkey will also be part of a larger community of nations, sharing the same norms and values - sharing the same visions.
It is a big step in the evolution of a country. And this issue needs to be discussed extensively- and understood fully. This is why I find it important to be here today and discuss this topic with you.
So what is the EU all about?
Kemal Atatürk once said. “Peace at home, peace abroad”. This could just the same has been said about the EU by one of its founding fathers. For the EU is a peace project. The ultimate objective was to bring about a stable peace on a continent that had been ravaged by wars for centuries.
And indeed, that objective has been fulfilled. Today, war among the European States is un-thinkable. Consequently, the focus of the EU has gradually shifted towards a drive to secure freedom and democracy in every part of Europe previously deprived of those rights. The half billion citizens of the EU has never been as free, never as secure and never as prosperous.
This is what consecutive enlargements of the EU has contributed to. Today, the EU is a beacon of freedom and democracy from the Polar Circle in the north, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the shores of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. By consecutive enlargements we have added to our vision of peaceful cooperation.
This is not the time to start closing the door to those Nations that wish to join the EU family. Let me be more precise.
By closing the door to Turkey, or any other country that qualifies for EU membership, we also run the risk of creating instability within the European Union. And we would also risk to lose the opportunity to deepen our cooperation with other countries that look towards the EU as a source of inspiration in their struggles for increased freedoms and democracy.
Attempts to make EU exclusive, instead of inclusive, would have a negative impact on EU:s global role in the field of foreign and security policy.
With 27 Member States, the EU is by far the world’s largest trading entity – bigger than the number two and three taken together. We are the largest market for more than 130 nations around the world. And we are by far the largest donor of development assistance.
But this economic might has not been paralleled by an equal influence in the area of foreign and security policy. Some would still say that the EU is an economic giant and a political dwarf – although this imbalance has changed for the better in the last few years.
But there is a need for the EU to further strengthen is role in global affairs. And I believe that Turkey, with its relations to all parties in this region and with Central Asia, would significantly add to that objective. Indeed, Turkey has already become the second most important strategic partner of the EU after the United States.
There is no doubt that the process of consecutive enlargements of the EU has been important. An EU consisting of its original 6 Member states – without the UK, Spain, Sweden, Greece, Poland, or all other newcomers - could never have aspired to the role the EU is playing to day. In fact, it is enlargement – probably more than any other individual factor – that has made the EU increasingly relevant and important on a wider global scale.
For 10 years France kept the United Kingdom out of the EU. And having been part of the Swedish accession team in the late 1980s and 1990s, I have a clear recollection of attempts to hinder Sweden, Austria, Finland and Norway to enter the EU.
But we did not listen to those who wanted to keep us out of the EU. We pursued our goal of full membership. Still, at the end of sometimes very difficult negotiations, some 80 members of the European Parliament voted against Swedish membership of the EU. Those politicians obviously thought, for different reasons, that Sweden did not belong in the EU.
There are some conclusions to draw from this.
The first one is that there has always been resistance from various quarters of the EU to admit new members.
The second and paradoxical conclusion is that each enlargements has been a success story, leading to a strengthening of the EU, internally as well as in global affairs.
A third one is that any country that decides on the full membership option has to deal continuously with the forces working against enlargement.
And it should also be kept in mind that this is not something unique for Turkey. This has been the case of every single enlargement up until now.
If we look further back in time, way beyond the inception of the EU, it can be claimed that the history of Europe is inseparable from the history of the Eastern part of the Mediterranean. To separate the Eastern Mediterranean region from the rest of Europe would be tantamount to separating ourselves from our European history. This is certainly a point to be made to those who claim that Turkey does not belong in the EU.
Of course, it has to be recognised that the accession of Turkey to the EU is slightly more complicated than enlarging with countries like Malta, or Sweden for that matter. Turkey will constitute the largest addition to the European family so far.
However, I do not believe that that the concern of Turkey is really about Turkey herself. Enlargement becomes a complicating factor when the EU is finding its role in a more complex and rapidly changing world. We are faced with the effects of globalisation, immigration, the financial and economic turmoil, the impact on our societies of climate change and environmental threats. All this creates uncertainties about where we are heading. And it risks to lead to an introvert thinking.
But these developments create tremendous opportunities if they are met with an open mind and clear visions. But at the same time it is not particularly strange that they also fuel enlargement fatigue in some European countries at this point in time.
For my part, I fail to see how the changes taking place around us, at an ever increasing speed, can be met by introvert policies, closing our doors to the outside. On the contrary, enlargement has been instrumental for bridging political, economic and cultural gaps, and for refocusing from historical conflicts to future cooperation.
I am sometimes asked why Sweden changed its position from being hesitant to Turkish membership of the EU, to a strong supporter.
The answer is simple: Because Turkey has changed!
During the past mandate period of the parliament we have witnessed impressive commitments to the EU reform process. I would even equal the changes that took place in Turkey to a silent revolution. This also paved the way for the decision to open accession negotiations with Turkey in October 2005. Since then the reform process have slowed down considerably.
We welcome the renewed commitments by the Turkish Government to inject new energy into the reform process. From the EU side we expect that the Government and the Parliament will deliver on these commitments.
For in the end, it is on the basis of the ability to adapt to the norms and values, the democratic and secular principles, the rule of law and fundamental individual freedoms, that a decision will be taken to welcome a new Member State to the EU family.
Of course, reforms are first and foremost implemented for the benefit of Turkey herself. But they are also crucial from the perspective of the negotiating process. The will to change in the direction of meeting the norms, values and freedoms that underpin the cooperation within the EU has always impacted on the speed of the negotiating process. It goes without saying that this is the case also for Turkey.
It is the responsibility of the EU to assist Turkey on every step of the way by explaining what kind of changes will be necessary to fulfil the EU criteria in every single area of cooperation, be it education, economic and social policies, the environment, foreign policy to mention just a few.
But the assistance go further than that. This year the EU is providing over 1 billion Lira in so-called pre-accession support for Turkey. In three years time, in 2011, that support will increase to more than 1,5 billion Lira. On top of that, individual Member States of the EU is providing national assistance in order to support projects that will assist Turkey to become a full member of the EU. My country, Sweden, has set aside 12 million Lira yearly for that purpose.
Speaking about the accession of Turkey to the EU, I wish to make one thing crystal clear. Namely that religion has nothing at all to do with being a full member of the EU. Religion is not a criteria for becoming a member of the EU. And it never will be.
However, it is certainly of increasing interest for the EU to play a constructive role in bridging differences and misconceptions between the West and the Muslim world. Turkey being a secular and predominantly Muslim country will significantly help in those endeavours as a member of the EU. Already today Turkey plays an important role by co-sponsoring with Spain the UN initiative the Alliance of Civilisations.
In conclusion, it is very much a matter of political leadership when it comes to clarifying the advantages of enlarging with Turkey – both in the EU and in Turkey. And it is a matter that must be discussed extensively and openly – not the least by you, representing the new Turkish generation.
In the years ahead it will be of paramount political importance for both the EU and Turkey to start to rebuild the public confidence on both sides in order to better highlight the mutual advantages of full Turkish membership of the EU. Future generations will not forgive us if we fail. I do believe that the Turkish accession to the EU is of that strategic magnitude.
On receiving his reward in Cannes in France last year for the best film director of the year, Nuri Bilge Ceylan referred to Turkey as his “lonely, beautiful country”. Yes, it is beautiful, but it is certainly not lonely. You have many friends who would like to welcome you in the family of EU nations.
Thank you