Green Light for Turkey (EU)

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041006/ap_on_re_mi_ea/eu_turkey_8

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Commission (news - web sites) on Wednesday recommended the start of EU membership talks for Turkey but set stiff conditions to prevent it from backtracking on sweeping democratic and human rights reforms.     

The decision was reached by a "large consensus" among commissioners, one EU official said, but no vote was taken. There was also no recommended date to start negotiations.

[...]

If the European Commission\'s recommendation is approved by the 25 EU leaders at a December summit, entry talks could begin in early 2005, capping years of lobbying by Turkish leaders who say their country could form a bridge between Muslim countries and Europe.

Many Europeans — including some commissioners — are wary of admitting Turkey, an overwhelmingly Muslim country of 71 million people, into the EU fold. Several commissioners have expressed skepticism about allowing in a secular Muslim nation with a weak economy and a questionable human rights record, whose projected population would be the largest in the EU by 2025.

Hmm, Im not so sure we want them.

Could you provide details on the benefits of Turkey being a part or Europe?  I know it\'s good but would just like to be enlightened.

Im not so up-to-date  but some things that were mentioned on the news yesterday (benefits FOR Turkey). Im not so sure what benefits we will get, other then a larger more powerful EU.

Turkey will get an economical boost, they are already having one but entering the EU will bring the economy up even more.

Economical aid, Turkey will receive much aid from the other EU countries (my country is currently paying more to the EU then what its getting back in forms of regional aid and farming aid).

An more open Turkey, the people of Turkey fear if they are rejected the fundamentalists in Turkey will get a boost, so the popular hatin’ of the western world will rise. Currently 70% of the Turkish population is for a EU membership.
They also feel that democratic reforms will be easier to introduce once they are a member, Turkey has already tried hard to improve its record in order to become a member.

Turkey has a high degree of unemployment, if Turkey becomes a member of the European Union they people will be albe to travel freely within EUs boarders, this should make it easier to find work abroad. (This has negative effects as well, this way criminals will be harder to track, this is something we’ve seen where I live. Ever since the Baltic nations, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania joined several groups of people from these countries have been arrested on charges for burglary, robbery etc. One league managed to break into 80 villas before being caught.)