TA 6/2011 (116. vuosikerta)

Community Policy in the EU: European Churches and Turkey’s EU Membership —The article discusses how European churches are participating in what is a significant political decision for the identity and integration of Europe: the potential EU membership of Turkey. The discussion is based on a document and statement issued by the Conference of European Churches, and official and unofficial statements by various individual churches. Interviews augment the research material. The background material includes debates in the European Parliament between 1999 and 2003, and reports issued by the European Commission. The material was analysed using qualitative content analysis. Although Turkey’s proposed EU membership has been both supported and opposed on religious grounds in the European Parliament, the EU has not requested statements from churches on the matter. The Conference of European Churches has nevertheless issued a public statement. The research shows that there are differences in approach between churches. The Catholic Church takes a passive positive position to the accession of Turkey into the EU, while the opinions of Protestant churches echo the positions of their respective home countries, pursuant to the Doctrine of the Two Kingdoms. The Orthodox Church is in favour of Turkey’s EU membership. There are also differences between churches in the political lobbying they pursue. The Catholic Church employs international diplomacy, while the Protestants issue public statements and the Orthodox Church lobbies key EU decision-makers directly. The findings show that all European churches seek to influence political decisions in one way or another. On the whole it is not European churches that see the Muslim majority Turkey as a threat, but rather the secular political elite.