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Turkey’s EU process could speed up, says Hüttemann
Hüttemann stated that the collapse of the Eastern Bloc has contributed to the general sluggishness in Turkey's membership process. He said the destruction of the Berlin Wall created pressure on the EU, noting that the pressure on the union for Turkey's integration cannot be compared to the circumstances created by the destruction of the wall. “Those supporting Turkey's EU membership say that an important bridge will be extended to the Islamic world, particularly the Middle East, with Turkish membership. The US is also pushing for Turkish membership. In addition to this, Turkey's EU membership is not only about political pressure. Efforts to convince the publics of both sides are needed. Such efforts were made before Slovakia joined the union. This could be an example for Turkey. The smooth running of the process is an issue that requires the determination of politicians and the business world as well as the people.”
In response to a question on whether EMG members were optimistic about Turkey's membership, Hüttemann said: “All our member agencies are institutions that protect their own interests and that know how EU integration works really well. Our members also know that some open-ended criteria have been set for membership. Negotiations with Turkey have been under way since 2005, and it has not been moving in a much worse or much different way than other processes. Our member institutions are following the process with pragmatic optimism.”
Hüttemann said in order to remove all political or diplomatic issues in the way of Turkey's membership, deepening relations in the public sphere were most important. “Such steps would add a human side to the issue. Diplomats will do their jobs, and politicians will make the necessary decisions sooner or later.
The real determining factor is whether the EU public understands what Turkey offers the EU. The more relations between the civil societies of Turkey and EU countries, the faster and smoother the process will be,” he said.
The EMG is Germany's biggest confederation. It has 171 institutions from different segments of society -- from workers and employee unions and political parties with parliamentary representation to churches and other organizations. However, there is only one institution related to Turkey -- the Turkey Research Center -- that is a member of the EMG despite the presence of thousands of Turkish civil society organizations in Germany. Hüttemann, who is aware of this situation, reiterates that relations between civil society groups on both sides are crucial to the membership process.
Hüttemann said it was difficult to forecast when Turkey's membership process might be completed but noted that it must pick up speed. “Sometimes in European integration, developments occur so fast that it surprises you. If both sides do their homework and Turkey fulfills all the membership criteria, we can witness developments much faster than the situation we are in right now.”
Who is Bernd Hüttemann?
Hüttemann, the secretary-general of the EMG, was born in 1970 in the Northern Rhine-Westphalia state's Paderborn district. He studied political science, history and European law at Bonn University. He has worked as a consultant at the European Politics Institute and director of various projects to bring Croatia and Slovakia closer to the EU at the Federal Foreign Ministry. Since 2003, he has been acting as the secretary-general of the EMG, the German branch of the International European Movement, an international group that works toward bringing together representatives from European associations, political parties, enterprises, trade unions and individual lobbyists.
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