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Assess the positive and negative factors in Turkey’s case for EU membership
Introduction Turkey’s case for EU membership is a welcome move that will help benefit the country in many ways. However, it must be noted that the move also has it shortfalls. The disadvantages are not only economical or social, but also political. Some of the advantages and disadvantages are discussed below.
Economic Advantages
There will be increased market for locally manufactured goods. By joining the EU, Turkey will enjoy membership benefits such as tax exemption and preferential treatment for its products from member countries. Such opportunities will increase its earnings from export on its textile products. With a home market that already totals to 70 million people, the additional market provided by members will help increase economic growth.
As compared to other EU members, Turkey has the highest birth rate of 2.5%. By joining the EU, Turkey will be able to sell its human labour to other member countries hence reducing unemployment level and consequently increasing standard of life of its people. The ploughed back earnings from the employed people will also help boost its gross domestic earnings and economic growth.
Increase in tourism activities will be another advantage. Turkey has some of the most magnificent tourist attractions around the world. It also has a very rich cultural background which most Europeans seek in Africa. By joining the EU, Turkey will be opening its beautiful white sand beaches, the house of the Virgin Mary and many other attractions to its members which will increase it income earnings.
Use of one currency in trade, the euro, will make transactions easier. Businesspersons from Turkey will not have to worry about exchange rates in their daily business operations. Gain of technological knowledge. Turkey will be able to gain from the member states new technological inventions and research which will help further it economic growth which is already above 6.8% annually.
Socio-cultural advantages
Although Turkey has a very rich cultural background, joining the EU will still enrich and diversify their culture as a nation as people from member states will be interacting more freely with one another.
These cultural exchanges will take place through education exchange programme and intermarriages. It will also promote peace among members which could in turn spread to other countries leading to a peaceful universe. Countries in one union do not wage war against each other.
Political advantages
By joining the EU, Turkey will be opening a good political relationship with other EU member countries such as France which its president Sarkozy is not in favour of Turkey joining the EU. Turkey may also benefit from members military support in case of any attacks.
Disadvantages of Turkey Joining the EU
Turkey’s decision to join the EU could face economic challenges such as dumping. Since Turkey is the least developed of the EU members, low quality goods from other member countries could be dumped there. Its local industries may also subside due to competition from established ones. Turkey’s emerging industries are not yet mature for completion that they may face from established firms from other EU members.
Since established firms command large sums of money, they can influence trade by investing more in advertisement and research which could lock out Turkish companies from their markets. Lastly, joining the EU means using the euro in transaction. The euro has been hit by the latest economic depression and is unstable which could affect Turkeys export and import trade.
Socio-culturally, Turkeys may lose its cultural heritage to the other European influences. The influence of the EU member states has been felt in other parts of the world already. This is in terms of dressing, language and music. This poses a great threat to the culture of Turkey which has been selfishly guarded for centuries. Dumping of poor quality goods may also be a threat to its population’s health.
Established firms from other EU members may choose to dump their poor quality goods which cannot be consumed at home in Turkey. These goods could affect the lives of people especially if they are consumables.
Additionally, Turkey could be the only member of EU with a large number of Muslim believers. With the war on terror slowly changing direction and being a religious affair, Turkey’s citizens will feel discriminated against.
What Social and cultural changes are taking place in Turkey?
The socio-cultural changes in a society take place when there is a change in its structure, attitudes, beliefs and values as well as technological factors. A society like Turkey having vested too much authority on the elderly, are often conservatives. This means that the country has remained loyal to its old friends for decades, has traded with almost the same nations for centuries and any changes in its political landscape is minimal.
Turkey’s leadership has stressed more on conformity than individualistic approach. The interweaving of religion and government created a perfect breeding ground for bureaucracy. Such a tightly woven structure has made change in culture limited for many years as every person’s duties have been well define and deviation from it is immoral.
Turkey’s cultural and social settings have remained considerably intact for a long time. However, this year, more than any other has witnessed a great change in societal social standards, culture and ideological stand. Turkish politics which has always been considered as inclusionary and diplomatic has taken an abrupt change of direction and ideology.
Led by their newly elected Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey has publicly condemned their long time political ally Israel while showing a strong support for Palestine. Most notably, Prime Minister Recep’s government has embarked on uniting the people of Turkey by trying to eradicate religious discrimination.
In attempting to unite the country, the government has had to make constitutional changes that give more powers to the minority groups. This is viewed as a move to stop the brutal kills of innocent people by the Kurdish separatists who are so far responsible for more than 40,000 deaths. This attempt is a clear indication of existence of multiculturalism.
A clear conflict has surfaced between Islamic elites and secular modernists. In a country with Muslim majority, there have always existed some small religious differences as the minority groups claim discrimination. The Turks language has also changed from the independent indigenous languages to Turkish.
It was legally required of all citizens to write and speak Turks, which made many languages die with time. Turkish art is also changing. The traditional miniature art drawings that forbid drawing of human faces and only concentrated on landscapes are being replaced with oil mural paintings.
Works Cited
Adam Jamrozik, Cathy Boland, Robert Urquhart 1995, Social change and cultural transformation in Australia, illustrated edn, CUP Archive, New York.
Anderson, J 1998, Return to Tradition: The Revitalization of Turkish Village Carpets , Jordan.
D’Anjou, L 1996, Social movements and cultural change: the first abolition campaign revisited, Transaction Publishers, London.
Lake, M 2005, The EU & Turkey: a glittering prize or a millstone?, The Federal Trust for Education & Research, London.
Michael Ruse, David Castle 2002, The Social and Political Structure of Kurdistan, Prometheus Books, New York.
Olson, R 1989, The Emergence of Kurdish Nationalism and the Sheikh Said Rebellion , Leank Publishers, Kabul.
Richard, T 1991, Islam in Modern Turkey; Religion, Politics, and Literature in a Secular , Indy La’jaury, Chicago.
Rita Arditti, Renate Klein, Shelley Minden 1984, From Empire to Republic: Essays on Ottoman and Turkish Social History , Taylor & Francis, London.
Shaw, SJ,AEKS 1976, History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey, Londler Publishers, Karachi.
Yokoyama, KM 2010, U.S. import statistics for animal related commodities, 2005-2010, Transaction Publishers, London
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