Turkey+-KP

  ** The European Union and Turkey **** European Union **

Why the European Union was Created
The European Union was created to establish: Peace throughout the nations in Europe. To provide stability for the citizens of Europe. To unify Europe. One common economy and currency. Safety and security in numbers and with all of the countries combined technologies and ideas. An identity in a growing world. Unity throughout all of the social groups and classes. Values of different countries could be shared with each other.

The flag of the European Union

History of the European Union The European Union started out as the European Steel and Coal Community in 1952. The European Steel and Coal Community were founded by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the Federal Republic of Germany and the Federal Republic of Italy. It was created to keep the peace between the countries because they relied on one another’s coal and steel to produce weapons and energy. In 1957 after the leaders of the six countries met the European Atomic Energy Community and the European Economic Community (EEC) were created. In 1989 after the Berlin Wall was taken down what used to be East Germany joined the EEC. On November 1, 1993 the EEC changed its name to the EC which stands for the European Communities. The Maastricht Treaty created the European Union and improved cooperation throughout the countries. The latest treaty in the EU is the Lisbon Treaty which was signed in 2007 but it hasn’t come into effect yet because not all members of the EU have agreed upon it.  The Countries of the European Union Today

The Purpose of the European Union The purposes of the European Union are to: End wars and conflicts between neighboring countries. Bring Europe together. Allow freedom of movement from country to country to the citizens. Stabilize economic markets. Promote economic progress through trade throughout the nations. Let the European Union to have a strong international identity. Let countries that are members to be able to rely on other members. Promote social progress through jobs and means of income throughout the countries. How the European Union Benefits Europeans The people are free to move from country to country without passports or visas. All of the countries in the European Union have the same currency which is the euro. There is improved transportation for people from country to country. There is a higher level of employment and more opportunities within the European Union. The people have more options in consumer goods. Citizens have a greater protection of rights in the European Union. There is less conflict and fighting between countries. The countries share developments in technology and resources. **Turkey **** Turkey **** and the European Union ** As of today Turkey is not a member of the European Union. Turkey was granted an associate membership of the European Economic Community, which is now the European Union, in 1963. Ever since that time Turkey has requested to become a full member of the European Union. Turkey applied for a full membership in 1987. That submission was denied though. The nation has been denied the ability to become part of the European Union due to political, social, and economic situations. The European Union will not accept Turkey until it resolves these problems. Turkey can still hope that in the near future it will be accepted. Why isn’t Turkey a member of the European Union? When Turkish troops marched onto the island of Cyprus in order to protect the minority population there from the Greeks it caused a rift between the two countries. Greece then asked the European Union to block entrance of Turkey into the European Union until the two agreed upon a settlement in Cyprus. That has not happened yet. Turkey ’s large population also has the European Union worried. There are not enough jobs for all of the people of Turkey and that would mean that the population would have to find other jobs in other countries which would cause social problems. Even though the European Union has provided some jobs for the Turks, it still isn’t enough. Since all of the members of the European Union are democracies and Turkey’s government isn’t it is just another reason that won’t help Turkey become a part of the European Union. Turkey has a poor economy that is underdeveloped compared to the other countries in the European Union. After the military rule in Turkey was brought down threats from Turkey’s senior military officers of a future intervention have been given if politicians didn’t do their jobs “correctly”. This causes the European Union to be concerned of what might happen if they let Turkey in. Turkey has had a history of cruel human rights. There has been torture in prisons, censorship, and random arrests. This all goes against the European Union’s beliefs. There is a dispute with Greece over territorial rights concerning the Aegean Sea. There are minerals there that both Turkey and Greece want to have control over. Disputes over the airspace over the Aegean Sea have also come between Turkey and Greece. ** The Pros and the Cons of Turkey Joining the European Union ** Since Turkey is estimated to be the largest country in Europe by 2010 it would have a very large say in the dealing of matters in the European Union. The European Union doesn’t believe that Turkey is ready for that kind of responsibility. Turkey is a very poor and underdeveloped country. It would put a lot of strain on the European Union and would cost a lot of money to help out Turkey. Since Turkey has a Muslim population of over 98 percent it would cause a lot of social and moral problems within the European Union. Turkey is actually found mainly outside of the geographical border of Europe and borders countries such as Syria and Iraq, which the European Union feels are too unstable and would pose a threat to the European Union. Since there have been many military revolutions in Turkish politics the country is still thought to be unstable and there could possibly be another military coup in the future. Turkey is fighting with Greece over matters and that could cause a rift and divide the European Union. Turkey would add a great number of people to the European Union, which would provide more jobs and businesses. Turkey is situated between Europe and Asia. It would be a nice balance of location and culture between the Muslims and the Christians. Turkey has a strong military which would be an asset to the European Union. There have been growth rates in the economy of Turkey and there is a young Population that could provide the manual labor that is needed in the European Union due to falling birth rates. Turkey could be a route of energy from other countries that are not in the European Union. ** How the European Union Benefits Turkey ** Over the number of years that Turkey has been an associate member of the European Union there has been change. The European Union has increased Turkey’s amount of jobs, which are greatly needed due to Turkey’s very high population. Turkey has been opened up to more trading routes and goods. As a result Turkey’s imports and exports have been higher since they joined the European Union. The European Union has also given money to Turkey due to its poor economy. The European Union has helped Turkey with health care and provided hospitals and doctors. This has helped to increase Turkey’s population because Turkey used to not have much health care and people were dying. Overall the European Union is a major asset to Turkey and has helped it grow from a large underdeveloped country to a large more civilized country. Works Cited “European Union.” . January 27, 2009 “The European Union.” . January 28, 2009. Tyson, David. __Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life__. Ed. Timothy L. Gall. Cleveland, Ohio: Eastword Publications Development, 1997. “Why the European Union?” . January 27, 2009.
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Pictures http://www.projecteu.com/europe.gif http://www.ndphs.org/internalfiles/Image/European%20Commission/European%20Flag(1).gif http://www.eeri.org/site/images/stories/political_maps/turkey_political.gif