Today I attended the presentation of the new report written by the Independent Commission on Turkey. It was a pleasure listening to the role model politicians Emma Bonino, Martti Ahtisaari, Hans van den Broek and Albert Rohan. The audiance -approximately 120 people- included the turkish ambassador, politicians and several representatives from political think tanks. Nothing to criticize you may think, but what seemed to be missing was the link to civil society. (Photo: World Bank/Flickr) Populist statements like the one Sarkozy made during his election campaign, saying "Turkey has no place inside the European Union", have been a major cause for the shift in public opinion in turkey: in today's presentation Albert Rohan unrolled that in 2004, when the accession negotiations officially started, 75% of the turkish citizens were in favour for the integration into the EU, today the support has dropped to 45%. To regain support it is essential that the european people show the turkish people that they want Turkey to join the European Union and that Turkey should get the same treatment as any other candidate country. Turkey joining the EU will not only be an advantage in terms of economic, foreign and security policy, it will also be a cornerstone for the integration process of turkish citizens living in the EU. Currently more than 110.000 turkish citizens are living in Berlin, the city where the presentation was held. For the integration of these people in Berlin and also into the European Union, it is of great importance wether Turkey will be granted accession.

I call on you to inform yourself by reading the current report published by the Independet Commission on Turkey and to then take your knowledge to the street. Once people know why the negotiations have been slowed down, they can build the public pressure to revive them. You can organize a little panel discussion on identity, transnationality and political activity, prepare a school lesson on the topic, invite a few neighbours and make a presentation, organize a demonstration, contact politicians and tell them your opinion, write to the local press and ask them to report on the current status of the negotiations.

Further reading on Turkey: - Euroalter: Turkey is described as a strategic asset for Europe - Euroalter: Turkey and Europe: Half a Century in the Waiting Room - Euroalter: Between civil rights and denied rights: to be women in Turkey - Euroalter: Europe: is it Catholic? Well, it sure is anti-Islamic - Wikipedia: Accession of Turkey to the European Union - Independet Commission on Turkey: Turkey in Europe: Breaking the Vicious Circle