Only 38 per cent of Turkish citizens wish to join the EU according to the German Marshall Fund of the United States. This compares with 74 per cent who favoured integration in 2004.
Gizem, from Istanbul, said: “The people don't want us to beg for membership. The main reason is that they don't believe Turkey will ever be in EU and have equal rights with other countries.
“They are not offering us ‘full membership’ but ‘privileged partnership’ and no one really know what exactly it means. What we understand from that term is not to have equal rights with other members.”
The “privileged partnership” status was proposed by German chancellor Angela Merkel although this was vehemently rejected by the Turkish government. Foreign ministry spokesman Burak Ozugergin said: "Our position is clear. There is no option for Turkey other than full membership,"
Fadi Hakura, manager of the Turkey project at Chatham House also criticised the privileged partnership proposal saying: “Privileged partnership is an ill-considered, unimaginative policy conferring neither 'privilege' nor true 'partnership'. Such a partnership could lead to a potentially irreversible and dramatic rupture in EU-Turkey relations, detrimental to European strategic interests.
“It would burden Turkey with onerous EU obligations while denying the advantages concomitant with accession, namely increased foreign investment flows, free movement of Turkish workers to EU labour markets, and access to EU agricultural subsidies and structural policies.”
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