April 18, 2008

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - More adults in Turkey believe their country should join the European Union (EU), according to a poll by A&G Research. 41.9 per cent of respondents support Turkey’s accession into the continental group, up 9.8 points since 2006.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - More adults in Turkey believe their country should join the European Union (EU), according to a poll by A&G Research. 41.9 per cent of respondents support Turkey’s accession into the continental group, up 9.8 points since 2006.

In October 2005, the EU officially began accession talks with Turkey. The country has been seeking inclusion for more than forty years, and filed a formal application to that effect in 1987. Since then, it has taken steps required only of members—including the establishment of a customs union—but was not accepted as a candidate state until 1999.

In October 2006, EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn declared: "Our relationship with this country is schizophrenic. (...) There is in Turkey a feeling of deception, because it is thought that ‘Europeans don’t want us in the Union’. As for the Union, it is disappointed by the sluggish pace of reforms, which are not sufficiently credible, leading to suspicion in public opinion. It is a real vicious circle that I want to break and this will be difficult to do if accession negotiations are suspended."

On Apr. 11, Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed disappointment with the EU, saying, "There are countries, who haven’t fulfilled their responsibilities under the Copenhagen political criteria as well as economic criteria, and the policy chapters of the EU acquis. What you are going to say about those?"

Polling Data

Do you support or oppose Turkey joining the European Union (EU)?

	2007	2006
Yes	41.9%	32.1%
Indifferent	24.0%	33.0%
No	27.7%	25.6%
Undecided	6.4%	9.3%

Source: A&G Research
Methodology: Interviews with 1,453 Turk adults, conducted on Apr. 5 and Apr. 6, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.