Turkey debate

This debate on the possible admission of Turkey to the European Union took place on 23 November, 2010. The discussion attracted around 80 people from various backgrounds. There were students, professionals, researchers from the Turkey-Institute and many others who were interested in the debate around the possible admission of Turkey.

Lively discussion

It was a lively discussion, with various topics and insights. Some, such as drs. Bontes (member of Parliament PVV) stressed the differences in culture between Turkey and the EU-member states. Others looked at the economic importance and growth of Turkey and they pointed out that this would give an impulse to the European economy. Professor Steunenberg said that, because of the low support, both in the European Union and in Turkey, the admission should at least be postponed.

Acknowledgements and future events

The interesting debate gave insight in the opinions regarding the admission and gives a lot of thought for further discussions. After the debate a reception was hosted where the audience had a opportinity to share their thoughts on the subject. We would like to thank all the panel members, the chair of the discussion, mr. Will Tinnemans and of course the audience and we hope to see them again at our next debate in May 2011.