|
Archived Articles
Simeon Mitropolitski is a Canadian analyst, of Bulgarian origin, and a former syndicated columnist with the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA). He is the author of several hundred articles dealing with hot political and economic topics, both national and international.
He was part of the first group of Bulgarian intellectuals and students that began the opposition movement that finally put an end to the communist regime in this country in 1989, and in 1996-1997 participated in international observation teams during the elections in several Balkan countries - Romania, Albania and Bulgaria.
In 2002 Simeon and his family moved from Bulgaria to Canada where they live now in Montreal, province of Quebec. Simeon is a Master of Political Science from McGill University and a B.A. of Political Science and History.
Global Real Estate Project
|
 |
Europe-Turkey: Nobody tells the truthFinally the European Union, after agonizing meetings, threats, diplomatic maneuvers and unfair postponements, decided to begin accession negotiations with Turkey. Irony is that Turkey hasn't become closer to its goal, joining the European elite club of rich nations from Western Europe and would-be rich nations from Central and Eastern Europe. Nobody told the public that the current formula in fact means postponing indefinitely the process of integration. In fact none of the current European and probably none of the current Turkish politicians will be still in office to be help accountable for what happened recently. Will there be European Union worth joining in 10-15 years from now? That's a hundred thousand dollar question nobody is even trying to tackle. Accession talks between EU and Turkey are about to start very soon. It's expected that they will keep going for 10 years, perhaps more. Given that Central and Eastern Europe had to wait 6-8 years before joining the Union, and for some applicants this period may take even 9 years, the attitudes toward Turkey don't seem to be too harsh. It's another point that Turkey, economically speaking, was well ahead of most of the former communist countries. Now this isn't a case anymore. Central Europe looks well ahead of Turkey. Balkan applicants Bulgaria and Romania look more or less in par with their big southern neighbor. There is however a huge difference between late 1990s, when Central and Eastern Europe was invited to join the club, and now. Then the waiting room was seen as a temporary accommodation given the high EU standards. Now the same waiting period for Turkey seems more like another way to tell the country that it isn't welcome. Turkey isn't welcome in Europe and there are several reasons for this, all of which politically incorrect to be spoken loudly by European top politicians, even if they are in opposition. Turkey is a predominantly Muslim country and many Europeans look at this religion as a threat. Turkey is a big country and many Europeans don't want to change their identity, which is inevitable when you marry someone so different and so big. Turkey is a poor country and many Europeans fear for their jobs, for their tax money, for their social security. If Turkey was a Christian, small and prosperous, like Switzerland or Norway, it would be more than welcome, but being Muslim, big and poor makes it a huge problem. Europe won't gain anything by having Turkey on board. EU still feels some remorse toward Eastern Europe for suffering under communism, but such remorse doesn't exist toward Turkey. This country had plenty of opportunities that were offered during the Cold War, but it didn't play very well with its strategic position. After refusing to allow U.S. troops in 2003 it became less important for its biggest military ally. Whatever we look at, Turkey is much more a liability than an asset. Every political and economic union that wants to integrate Turkey will have to pay its bills and they are huge and numerous. The only potentially beneficial aspect of the Turkish membership in EU, from Western perspective, is to disprove the theory that stipulates inevitable clash of civilizations. Turkey within EU may be seen as a bridge between civilizations that ultimately may reduce the global tension between West and Islam. To build such a bridge Turkey must join EU as soon as possible, but this case is different. In fact the country is less close to EU than it was 10 or 20 or 30 years ago. Political rhetoric of integrations hides the real process of moving away from one another. There is one more point that needs to be clarified that deals with the Turkish EU application. For many countries, Turkey being no exception, EU represents a highway for speedy modernization and prosperity. The applicant accepts to change completely its economy and in exchange receives money to make this move smoother. It seems EU doesn't have enough money to support another enlargement. Central Europe may only hope to reach the average European standards in 15-25 years like Spain or Ireland. Balkans won't be able to close the gap by themselves in less than 50 years. When Turkey in 10-15 years knocks on the front door for money, there may be no money left in the coffer. Will EU be still worth joining then?
EU-Turkey relations, chronology: --------------------
See also the directory of companies providing real estate services in, and general real estate information of Turkey.
|
See also:
