Turkey not ready for EU, says French PM

Neither Turkey nor the European Union is ready for the secular Muslim nation to join the bloc, the French premier told parliament today.

Kicking off a closely-watched debate, Jean-Pierre Raffarin sought to soothe widespread opposition to Turkey’s eventual membership, saying it wasn’t imminent.

“Neither Europe nor Turkey are ready for membership,” the French premier told the National Assembly. “Today, Turkey is very far from Europe politically, economically and socially.”

But Raffarin also said a stable Turkey is in France’s interests and argued that Turkish hopes “must be considered.”

“Let us not lie to the Turkish people. Let us confirm clearly that its membership in the European Union is not possible today, nor tomorrow nor in the next few years,” he added.

MPs had pushed for a debate on Turkey’s EU aspirations before December 17 - when EU leaders are to finalise an initial approval of membership talks.

Chirac’s support of membership talks for Turkey places him at odds with many MPs and French opinion.

In an opinion poll this week, 75% of French people said they oppose Turkey joining the EU.

Chirac says France will decide in a referendum whether it wants Turkey in the EU. That could jeopardise Turkey’s aspirations, since EU member states must unanimously approve any nation’s application for membership.