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Most Germans against Turkey joining EU: poll

29 June 2006

BERLIN – A big majority of Germans are against allowing Turkey to join the European Union, a poll published on Thursday showed.

Some 63 per cent of Germans oppose giving Turkey EU membership, said the Emnid Institute poll conducted for a magazine published by the Greenpeace environmental group.

People living in former communist eastern Germany were more pro- Turkey, with 51 per cent opposing Ankara’s EU membership compared to 65 per cent in western Germany.

The biggest reason for rejecting Turkey joining the EU is “fear of a growing influence of Islam in Europe,” the poll revealed.

Fears of high costs of subsidizing Turkish membership and expected Turkish migration were also top reasons cited for rejecting Turkey as a possible EU member.

Germans have reversed their views on Turkish EU membership in recent years, a statement issued with the poll said.

A similar survey in December 2002 showed 60 per cent of Germans backing Turkish EU membership.

DPA

Subject: German news