> only open to countries on the European continent
Cyprus would like to have a word.
As well as potentially Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan.
Cyprus would like to have a word.
As well as potentially Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan.
Redefining Europe to include Canada would be outright ridiculous. The Union would have to redefine its own identity if it wanted to admit Canada.
Would the that be a discussion point if Turkey had a well functioning democracy? Solid economics? Didn't have the death penalty? Found some sort of resolution to conflicts on its borders?
Turkey has a functioning democracy it's just that most of the population loves populist rhetoric. Erdogan's party lost mayoral elections in all the major cities.
> Solid economics
Turkey had a GDP PPP of $3.45 trillion in 2024 (12th in the world)
> Didn't have the death penalty
Turkey doesn't have the death penalty.
> Found some sort of resolution to conflicts on its borders
The conflict in Syria is resolved in Turkey's favor. The potential conflict with Greece is a different issue though.
I don't think Turkey's EU application being in limbo is because of whatever excuse EU politicians can conjure up at any moment in time. It's because Turkey, if accepted into the EU, would be the most populous country, the biggest country by landmass, the most powerful country militarily, and the youngest country in the EU. Turkish agriculture and manufacturing would be a lot more competitive compared to EU products.
Is it? The SDF is still there, and was always one of the biggest reasons why Turkey got involved.
Now, that one, Turkey might still resolve yet... but if it does, that will likely come in form of another genocide. Which would hardly improve its chances of getting acceptance.
Turkey certainly has some economic issues with inflation, etc.
Yes, Turkey has democracy, but what was the coup thing going on a few years back?
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But yes, high population == more votes, could also be a concern.
But maybe in a few decades the EU will have labour shortages and willing to take on a new challenge, who knows? :)
The French and their globally disconnected departments ...
(French Guiana is governed by EU regulations, after all...)
Or to be a bit more precise, the rule says any "European state" can join, but there are no set-in-stone definitions of what that actually means.
People here are mentioning Morocco as the example of a country rejected for not being European, but that's not quite accurate: Morocco got rejected from the European Communities in 1987, six years the Maastricht Treaty officially established the EU. Maastricht Treaty specifically put the European Commission in charge of figuring out which countries are considered to be "European", but as far as I know, they never said no to anyone. They did say yes to Cyprus, Georgia and Armenia.