Dutch Council Suggests Turkey-EU Talks Begin within 2 Years

The Netherlands Advisory Council on International Affairs indicated that it could be something new for the EU to extend membership to a predominantly Muslim country. The Council stressed that Turkey’s membership discussions should start within two years, and added that, in principle; the accession of Turkey would be no different from previous enlargements. At the upcoming summit in December the EU will reach a decision on whether or not to begin membership discussions with Turkey

A statement from the Council reminds that EU countries are home to 20 million Muslims, therefore Islam one way or the other needs to be included in the Union. The Council adds that if Turkey fails to fulfill the various targets set by the European Commission for membership, then the discussions will be put on hold. Among these targets are the stability of Democracy in Turkey and the protection of human rights.