Does the "religion factor" have a decisive role in this, though this is not openly acknowledged? This question is one worth discussing. Let's take a short journey. Former French President and Convention on the Future of Europe President Valery Giscard d'Estaing, former European Parliament President and French Industry Minister Nicole Fontaine, former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt and many others continue to highlight the importance of the religion factor. However, former Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio says religion will not be an obstacle before Turkey's EU membership as religion and politics are separate from each other in the political systems in Europe. European Commission President José Manuel Barroso goes further to say, "Any response to Turkey will be a response to Islam." Former EU Enlargement Commissioner Günter Verheugen has said, "Muslim Turkey can be an advantage for the EU."
As the debates over whether Turkey will be given a date for the start of negotiations grew heated, this also gave rise to inflamed discussions centered around religion. The most notable statement was one made by Vatican spokesperson Navarro Vals, who said with a never-seen-before straightforwardness: "The EU member countries share the Christian religion and its values. In this respect, Moldova and Ukraine, as Orthodox countries, may be more suitable for EU membership." Previously Pope John Paul II had indicated that all important documents including the EU constitution should contain significant references to Christianity. This was because all of the 15 members and 13 candidate members of the EU were Christian countries. Turkey was the single exception to this.
This debate started primarily during the drafting process of the EU Constitution. The Vatican wanted to insert the sentence, "The religion of the EU is Christianity." Although d'Estaing, as the head of the group working on the draft text, rejected the Vatican's request, Article 51 urged the EU "to establish dialogue with the institutions which represent religious communities and churches and their social contributions." No major objections were raised to this request, and even the French intellectuals, who are known for being secular and irreligious, saw the "failure to include the Europe's Christian legacy in the Constitution as a denial of history and reason."
Naturally, Turkey objected to this request. Then-Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül said the EU Constitution must be secular. However, Gül also stressed another important point: "Those who seek more emphasis on Christianity should have a look at Europe's history. In the history of Europe, there are not only Christians, but also Muslims and Jews. If reference to Christianity is to be made, these two religions should be mentioned as well. Nevertheless, we prefer a secular constitution."
Formerly, Istvan Ertl, the spokesperson for the European Network Against Racism (ENAR) in France, had said: "No one can deny the serious contribution made by Christianity to the European identity, but Judaism and Islam, too, had played great roles in the formation of this identity. Andalusia's tolerant interpretation of Islam and their translation of antique Greek works to European languages cannot be overlooked." Former European Commission President Jacques Delors had elucidated on this issue in an interview with Italian La Repubblica newspaper. "I believe that we have a past and that peace is the product of this past full of internal wars among us, expansions and retreats. In order to state that Europe is the product of democracy and Greek philosophy, Roman law, Jewish-Christian legacy, illumination, and partially Islam, whose presence could be felt intensely until 1492, many things should be stressed, though in a single sentence. Referring to Jewish-Christian values in the Constitution may imply exclusion of Muslim Turkey. For this reason, Islam, too, should be mentioned," he had said.
