According to a survey conducted in 2005 by Eurostat, religion is a fundemental aspect of life for 53% of those asked. In general, 49.5% of European citizens are Catholic, 13.7% are Protestant, 8.6% are members of the Orthodox Church, 15.7% are Muslim, 0.4% are Israelite and 25.4% declares to be “not religious”. However, when it comes to mosques, then they all return to the fold and say: “yes, we are Catholic”

Turkey applied for associate membership of the European Economic Community in 1959. Half a century in the waiting room and the enlargement prospects for Turkey still at a standstill. Turkey applied before Ireland, the UK and Denmark, but negotiations have experienced a death-slow tempo and there is not a clear and straightforward path for the long standing relationship between Turkey and the EU. Indeed, it was not until December 1999 when EU Helsinki Council recognises Turkey as an EU candidate country on an equal footing with other candidate countries and not until October 2005 when the formal opening of Accession negotiations with Turkey started.

Freedom of religion and expression lead to a strong and vibrant civil society that only strengthens the state, which is why steps like reopening the Halki Seminary will send such an important signal inside Turkey and beyond.

Rasheed Araeen is an artist and founding editor of the celebrated journal Third Text. In this interview he talks about the significance of globalisation for the arts, and the political significance of the artist.

There seems to be a fundamental paradox in the current dialectic of globalisation and the numerous public debates surrounding it. We are constantly reminded of the inescapable supranational interconnectedness of contemporary economical reality. At the same time, however, a gaze at the political landscape seems to return us to a déjà of competition between states, imperialist ventures, and a tribal conception of the national interest.