I am disappointed with Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando’s arguments against Turkey’s EU membership application and his response to the Turkish minister’s reaction. Dr Pullicino Orlando had come across as a reformist, open-minded liberal during the divorce debate and now he sounds the opposite.
The EU has considerable soft power which can bring about reforms in human rights and level-playing-field trading that have not only improved the lives of its own citizens but will also improve those who aspire to join (eurozone membership is something else).
Dr Pulicino Orlando’s view that Turkey should not join the EU because it is not European is shared by many – there are plenty of closed minds around. However, his claim that Turks are not European because the Turkish minister dared answer his anti-Turkey statement would make Italians non-European following anti-Malta insults about illegal immigrants by some Italian politicians and television presenters.
If we are going to define Europeans by good behaviour, well, this is a pretty novel concept in European history. Up to a few centuries ago the European Christian Church was brutally killing many Jews and claimed heretics in God’s name. Only a few decades ago Europeans were responsible for one of the worst atrocities in human history and American and British Empire soldiers had to save Europeans from themselves.
As for us Maltese, we wouldn’t expect our European credentials to be judged solely on the fact that our culture and language is a mixture of Arab and European (as befits our geography).
So let’s be a bit more open-minded about Turkey’s application. Let’s not forget Turkey has been a key Western ally and that a large rapidly industrialising Muslim democractic EU member, on the border between Europe and the troubled Middle East, would strenghten the concept of an enlightened modern Europe bent on improving peoples’ lives.
Some Europeans may be against Turkish membership because of the considerable commercial competive threat it presents to an anti-globalisation “fortress-Europe” mentality.
On a lighter but not insignificant note, one presumes Turkey and Israel take part in the European Song Festival because they might be both members of the European Council.