So near and yet so far

“Turkey’s candidature to join the European Union, due to its particular difficulty, especially in view of its high population density and unique historical and cultural links with Islam, is revealing the structural weakness that the EU is heading towards and imposes the need for a critical examination of ‘what’ Europe we want to build”, said Cardinal Angelo Scola, Patriarch of Venice, in his address to the meeting “What Europe? The case of Turkey”, held in Venice on 10-11 November, sponsored by the Ecclesial Movement of Cultural Commitment (Italy) and Pax Romana, the international organization of Catholic intellectuals. According to the Patriarch, account needs to be taken of “the position on Turkey’s candidature of the EU” held by the Christians who live in that country, particularly in view of “the presence of the Ecumenical Patriarchate at Constantinople”. A “second criterion to evaluate Turkey’s case is that relating to the conception and practice of human rights”. “We ought not to conceive of human rights in the abstract, as a pure list of principles. And in this regard the religions seen as publicly qualified subject can help us. The universality of human rights could achieve greater efficacy if inspired by the universality of religions”. In this perspective, concluded the patriarch, “religious freedom must be a guiding principle also in the case of Turkey”. A FAITHFUL ALLY. “If ever Turkey becomes a member of the EU, this will not mean the solution of world problems, but it will mean that problems such as the question of Cyprus, the condition of women and human rights would have to be tackled. What sense would it have to exclude Turkey from the EU unless she shows herself capable of tackling these questions? Would it not perhaps be better to commit her to this democratic effort?”: that’s the question posed by Ibrahim Kalin, director of the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research in Ankara, in recalling that “Turkey has always been a great ally of the West and of the USA; she has represented an element of stability for the Balkans and for the Middle East, as also for the Caucasian region, and indeed the Islamic world as a whole. These are all regions that are essential for peace-building in the world”. Referring to current tensions between the West and Islam, Kalin said that these “are the result of a history that has linked them for 1300 years”. But “important moments” also form part of this history, such as “the visits of John Paul II to Tunisia, Morocco, Bosnia, and all countries with a Muslim majority such as Turkey. That’s why the Pope’s visit to our country is so important. It will, I am sure, be a fantastic event”. PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED. An open but at the same time critical position is that of Marijana Grandits, director of the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe, who pointed out some of the problems that would need to be solved before Turkey ever enters the EU: namely, “the Kurdish question and respect for human rights, in particular those linked to the condition of women. In this field – he explained – we have worked a lot side by side with the Turkish police to eliminate the use of torture and persuade them of the need to respect civil liberties. The female world is still characterised by traditions that stem from ancient models of patriarchal life. This may lead to cases of girls being violated and forced to marry the men who have raped them or men who have several wives without any legal protection, despite the fact that polygamy is banned by Turkish law. These are attitudes that the EU cannot accept and that need to be changed”. Widening his gaze to the countries of south-eastern Europe, Grandits called them “a resource for the EU; for that reason they cannot be excluded from the process of enlargement. The test-bed for their membership, however, is respect for fundamental rights and solidarity”. Grandits also described the progress made by Croatia and Macedonia, for both of which a waiting period of at least two years is on the cards. A longer time frame is presumable for Kosovo, while in the case of Albania “improvements in the rule of law” are being registered. NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICIES. “Bosnia, Kosovo and Albania are countries with a Muslim majority that aspire to enter the EU. If we refuse to accept Turkey because she is Islamic, it follows that there ought to be no place for these countries too in the EU”: that’s the provocative comment of Father Antoine Sondag, spiritual assistant of Pax Romana. His proposal is to “promote a serious neighbourhood policy, as is already happening in relations with various countries of the Mediterranean littoral, especially Morocco and Algeria, with which a free-trade area should open from 2015-2020. Such a commitment would serve to develop Turkish civil society and promote understanding of it in other countries”. This is a proposal seconded by Maurice Rieutord, general secretary of the Robert Schumann Institute for Europe, who has also proposed “the formation, within the EU, of a ‘ministry for the Mediterranean’ to foster mutual understanding between European and Arab culture”.