EU-DIGEST

Hannover trade fair: 'catch the future with Turkey' - by Nabeelah Shabbir and Judith Argila Blanco

Incumbent Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is scheduled to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Hannover technology trade fair, which takes place April 16-20. His German visit takes place on the same day that his Islamist-rooted Justice and Development (AKP) party releases the names of its presidential candidates for the upcoming May elections in Turkey (his own candidacy remains unofficial).

Martin Klein, the trade fair’s press officer, describes the timing of Erdogan’s visit as 'not so coincidental.’ For one, the trade fair is held in April of every year, whilst Turkey was first discussed as a partner country candidate by German governmental institutions more than two years ago. 'Of course, over the last three years, Turkey itself has undergone a lot of political discussion,' he comments. 'It’s one of the most important countries in and for Europe, with one of the brightest futures.'

The reforms imposed on Turkey for negotiations to be successful have caused businesses, privatisations and trade with the EU to flourish. Wolf Ruthart Born, the German ambassador in Ankara, assures that direct inversions of his country in Turkey have led to a growth of 20% in the past year. Germany is not only an important import country for Turkey, but also its best buyer (14% of exports), according to statistics from the 2006 Institute of Foreign Trade.

German politician Aydan Özoğuz. The migration policy spokeswoman for the Social Democratic (SDP) party in Hamburg co-founded the now-defunct German-Turkish programme for the private, independent Körber Foundation based in Hamburg. She describes Brussels’ attitude towards Turkey as 'theatrical', and acknowledges the recent silence on the theme during Germany’s EU presidency. Culturally, she also slams the fact that Europeans are 'poorly informed'.

Labels: EU, European Integration, Turkey