| | | | The study, obtained by the Reuters news agency, says that Turkey’s membership could offer economic and political benefits to both the EU and Turkey.
“Overall, EU Member States’ economies would benefit from the accession of Turkey, albeit only slightly,” the study said. “Turkey would benefit substantially from its accession to the EU.”
The study’s findings are significant as the EU Commission is due to release a report on Turkey’s progress in meeting the bloc’s accession criteria on October 6. EU leaders are to use the report to base their decision on whether to open membership negotiations with Ankara at their December summit.
Though acknowledging that Turkey’s accession to the EU would pose challenges to both sides, the study said that, if well managed, it would offer important opportunities for both.
“Turkey is a strategically important country whose EU membership would have implications for foreign policy in a number of potentially unstable neighbouring regions such as the Mediterranean, Middle East, Caucasus and Central Asia,” the study said.
According to the study, the total cost of having Turkey join the EU in 2025 was estimated at between 16 to 28 billion euros per year. This corresponds to between 0.1 and 0.17 percent of the EU’s GDP.
Among the benefits that Turkey’s membership would bring was securing energy routes and as an example to the Muslim world.
“Turkey would be an important model of a country with a majority Muslim population adhering to such fundamental principles as liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law,” the study said. | |
