We know, we’re not going there. But given Turkey’s peculiar geographical position, some may wonder whether Turkey’s minor part being in Europe is enough to qualify for membership. Well, does Turkey belong to the EU? Does it fully operate under EU’s policies and benefits?
Is Turkey a part of the EU?
No, Turkey is not a part of the European Union. However, negotiations have been underway for a long, long time for Turkey to join the EU. In fact, these negotiations started as early as 1987. However, there’s currently no certainty or even really any way to tell whether this will happen at all, as there are countries, like Sweden, which strongly oppose such a change.
The arguments against it consist of only 3% of Turkey’s territory being on the Old Continent. In addition, the current member states fear mass labour migration of Turks in the event of Turkey’s accession to the EU. The authoritarian inclinations of the current President of Turkey are also not helping the negotiations on Turkey’s accession to the ranks of the Member States of the European Union.
When will Turkey join the Union?
We haven’t a clue. There’s simply no way of knowing IF this will ever happen, let alone when. If something changes, then hey, we’ll let you know.
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