Creighton fundamentally wrong on Turkey - Mulcahy

Dublin South Central TD Michael Mulcahy today rejected comments made by Fine Gael T.D., Lucinda Creighton, concerning comments made by President Mary McAleese on her recent visit to Turkey.   

Deputy Mulcahy, a member both of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs, and the Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Scrutiny, said that, for Ms. Creighton to compare the legitimacy of Turkey’s proposed membership of the European Union to that of Morocco, is fatally flawed.

Firstly, Turkey has immense cultural, historical, religious, and commercial links with Europe, stretching back to Emperor Constantine, the influence of Byzantine Culture on Europe and the close interplay between Turkey and Europe through the centuries.  Secondly, Turkey has enjoyed very close commercial ties with Europe over the centuries, and indeed, has some very formalised commercial ties between it and the European Union today.

Deputy Creighton should remember that it has been long standing Irish Government Policy to support Turkish membership of the European Union, and her attempts to de-rail this worthwhile inclusion of Turkey by scaremongering on the issue of unemployment, is not appropriate.

Of course, there is a disparity in wealth between the European average and Turkey, but the Turkish economy is a very dynamic economy, set to grow by 10% next year, and it is a sheer fallacy to believe that millions of Turkish people would descend on Ireland if Turkey was granted full membership of the European Union.  If there was such a fear, then of course, there could be appropriate restrictions entered into as transitional measures, if required. Furthermore, the fallacy of this argument is exposed when one considers that there has not been a massive migration of workers from Bulgaria or Romania, both of whom have a much lower GDP per head than Ireland.

I would also call on Deputy Enda Kenny to clarify his party’s position on Turkey’s EU membership goal.