European Union

Current issues

Major issues currently facing the European Union cover its membership, structure, procedures and policies; they include the adoption, abandonment or adjustment of the new constitutional treaty, the Union's enlargement to the south and east (see below), resolving the Union's problematic fiscal and democratic accountability, and revision of the rules of the Stability and Growth Pact, the future budget and the Common Agricultural Policy.

Related Topics:
Democratic accountability - Stability and Growth Pact - Common Agricultural Policy

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At the next Intergovernmental Conference (IGC), which is a semi-annual meeting of EU member states'

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heads of state and government, EU member states must decide on how it will allocate the EU budget. Alo, here is the issue of the "Financial Perspective", which is renegotiated every seven years. The next Financial Perspective will be for 2007-2013. Issues that will be controversial during upcoming budget debates will be the British rebate, France's benefits from the Common Agricultural Policy, Germany and the Netherlands' large contributions to the EU budget, and reform of the European Regional Development Funds. Many commentators have envisaged these debates to yield a major split between governments such as France and Germany, who call for a broader budget and a more federal union, and governments such as Britain, who demand a slimmer budget with more funding transferred to science and research (and whose watchword is modernisation).

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Turkey in 4 October 2005 furthered its will to enter the European Union, making them the first predominantly Muslim country to open membership talks with this organization. Many states within the union are wary of this decision, chiefly Austria. Austrian apprehension for Turkey dates back for centuries, leading from the 1683 Battle of Vienna, where the Austrians defeated the Ottoman Turks. Fears of an influx of migration from Turkey into Austria if the country and its 70 million inhabitants are allowed into the union is a heated topic. Others argue that most of the country is on the wrong side of the Bosporus Strait, which many believe to be the dividing line between Europe and Asia. Turkey also refuses to acknowledge any relations with the state of Cyprus since Turkish troops invaded the northern section of the island in 1974 following a coup attempt by Greek ultra-nationalists. Austria has proposed for an esteemed partnership for Turkey which would come short of an actual membership. Turkey rejected that proposal. Other European states claim that denying Turkey to a membership would brew future hostilities with other Muslim nations.

Related Topics:
Turkey - 2005 - Austria - 1683 - Battle of Vienna - Bosporus Strait - 1974

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