How does the issue of unemployment affect Turkey's chances of joining the European Union?

Answer 1

Turkey's unemployment is irrelevant to the accession process and no one has ever cited it as an issue. There are five main reasons actually given for the European Union's failure to accept Turkey's bid to join the EU.

1) Turkish Failure to Recognize the Armenian Genocide: Many states in the European Union have recognized the Armenian Genocide as a fundamental denial of human rights against the Armenians. The Turkish Government currently espouses the view that while there may have been some indiscretions, it does not rise to the level of genocide. However, this view runs contrary to nearly all established scholarship outside of Turkey. Additionally, Turkey compels many world governments to not to accept the term "genocide" using its critical location and foreign policy as weapons against taking this view.

2) Turkish Invasion and Occupation of North Cyprus: In 1974, the Turkish army launched an amphibious assault in Cyprus to protect Turkish Cypriots from an increasingly pro-Greek Cypriot majority. In 1974, the UN established a ceasefire line which has divided Cyprus into northern and southern halves. To this day there has been no formal peace treaty. Turkey has also moved 200,000 Turkish citizens to the north of Cyprus in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention. (Considering that the population of Cyprus is only 1.1 million, this is a huge population transfer.) Being in a state of war against an EU member state, which Cyprus is, and occupying the de jure territory of Another Country are both violations of the terms of accession to the European Union.

3) Turkish Repression of the Kurdish Minority: Kurds represent between 15-25% of the overall Turkish citizenry. They have a unique language, culture, and society from ethnic Turks. Many aspects of Kurdish culture are actively restricted. Their language was illegal for many decades as was the right to name their children with Kurdish names. Some Kurdish cities have been renamed in order to "Turk-ify" them. Some Kurds have risen in rebellion against the Turkish government, but far many more have attempted to have a peaceful discussion with the Turkish government. However, the Turkish government has assassinated numerous Kurdish politicians attempting to make peace and improve the situation. This maltreatment of a significant minority is appalling to European Union member states.

4) Turkey's Poor Human Rights Record: There are limits on the Freedoms of Speech and the Press in Turkey. The Justice System is relatively corrupt and the Prison System is badly maintained. Additionally, there are extra-national executions (where a person is sent to another country to be executed since capital punishment is illegal in Turkey) and relatively common applications of prisoner torture. There are military barracks near most Turkish cities in order to prevent protests and riots. Turkey is a liberal democracy in comparison to most Middle Eastern countries, but not in comparison to the much greater transparency and freedoms in most of the remaining European Union countries.

5) Turkey's Developing Economy: Turkey is a developing economy whereas most of the European Union has a developed economy. Since the European Union is first and foremost an economic union and then a superstate structure, having an economy that operates along different principles from most European economies makes accession more difficult.

There are two additional reasons cited by Turks and their sympathizers as to why their bid has not been accepted.

1) Economic Competition: Although Turkey is a developing country, it has a population larger than every current European Union member other than Germany. Turkey's economy is growing at a very high rate and Turkish infrastructure is completely evolving. Additionally, due to European Union internal migration laws, many Turks would likely migrate to other European countries without VISA issues. This would lead to competition for employment opportunities between citizens of other European Union countries and Turkish migrants. The fear of the growing Turkish economy and the migration of Turks to other countries makes many Europeans wary of Turkish accession.

2) Islam: There is currently no member in European Union which is a majority-Muslim country. Given Europe's frigid reception of Muslim immigrants, many Turks say that the primary reason that they have not been allowed to become a part of the European Union is that their religion and culture have been labelled as "different" and "non-European".