Aditi Someshwar
The European Union is one of the most powerful and significant geographic blocs in history. The Union extends decision-making dominance across countries both within Europe and beyond, positioning itself as an overarching ideological faction with implicit power at the global stage. However, is being a member of the Union worth the price one pays in accession? This remains a question that begs an answer.
Who may enter the Union?
Being within the geographic confines of the European continent is not enough to be a part of the EU. This esteemed membership comes at a cost of conforming to the whims of dominant member states and their political beliefs - Germany, France, Belgium, formerly the UK. Many countries try consistently to attach themselves to this elite group, yet fall short of acceptance which is both caused by and causes great political turmoil. There are a plethora of complex reasons for why certain countries get chosen into the EU as compared to others. However, the most pertinent are expectations of dominant ideology, stability of political systems, and geopolitical implications.
Heavy Costs of Accession
Expectations of dominant ideology fall under the EU’s understanding of themselves as democratic, equitable, secular and implicitly capitalist. While their expectation of similar practices across member states is not noteworthy, the coercive power the EU can wield over these states in changing and influencing political practices is pertinent. If a state does not want to follow their rules and respect their basic values as aforementioned, they won't be admitted.
For instance, Turkey, which first bid to join the Union in 1987, still to this date remains on the outskirts of integration. 15 new member states have been accepted since they first made their formal application. The main pushback for Turkey as part of the EU comes from viewing the nation as ideologically distinct from the EU’s Identity, particularly in regards to frameworks of human rights and justice. France’s biggest objection to Turkey’s EU bid is their constitutional differences in human rights and press freedom which do not meet EU standards. This follows along the lines of standard criteria against which countries are scored when joining the Union and expected to amend domestic law for.
More importantly, the idea of pushing “ideological homogeneity” is not just directed towards aspiring member countries but already established members such as Poland and Hungary. These countries are repeatedly allocated less funds or no funds at all from significant European institutions because of their illiberal practices. These are heavy costs to bear for nations already a part of the Union, who without this funding suffer severe economic challenges. If we take the example of Hungary, we observe that the country permanently lost 1 billion Euros in funds from the EU as of 1st January this year.
This comes at a difficult time for the nation amidst a recession and a consistently shrinking economy. These funds have been blocked on the grounds of concerns with rule of law, breaching of asylum rules and sidelining of earlier EU judgements. The EU affairs minister for Hungary, János Bóka, as quoted in the Financial Times, states that it is “very difficult” not to interpret the withdrawal of funds as “political pressure”. Further elucidating how nations which do not assimilate to the Union’s demand bear the cost of discrimination which has devastating impacts on their economy.
It is also imperative to mention however that certain countries are further isolated from joining the Union due to their perceived ideological standing as “separate” from that of the EU. Regardless of aspects of democracy and rule of law, Turkey also displays noticeable demographic differences with most EU countries, with a large Muslim population. This paints Turkey as separate from Europe in the minds of many EU citizens and governments; with an emphasis on the country’s incompatibility with the EU’s secular and liberal identity. While Turkey’s stance is both secular and modern as a state today, this taught perspective on the Islamic world taints their perception in the European continent.
The EU’s need for overarching ideological homogeneity goes hand in hand with their want of political stability which comes in the form of democratic governments and low civil unrest. Many countries such as North Macedonia have been tasked to create more constitutionally inclusive environments for the ethnic groups residing within the country and neighbouring them. The negotiations framework put forward with the country’s candidate status in July 2022 required them to undertake constitutional changes to include ethnic groups living in their country as protected and equal citizens. Including classifying the Bulgarians, Croats, Montenegrin, Jews and other minorities as part of these ethnic groups.
These inclusive strategies to establish political stability do not extend to the ongoing refugee crisis. In reality, countries with high numbers of refugees are deemed increasingly unstable due to their increased diversity. For instance a large concern with Turkey joining the EU is their status as the largest host of refugees within the region and the instability this population will bring to the region’s security, economies and culture.
Finally, geopolitical nuances command significant influence over nations and their accession into the EU. It is largely known that Russia aims to protect its borders through any means possible and hence places priority in controlling and actively participating in national proceedings of its neighbour states. This thwarts many nations’ want to be a part of the Union. Georgia is the latest country with a public desire to join the bloc in hopes of better economic growth and political stability that has its hopes blocked by the geopolitically charged position it finds itself in bordering Russia.
Georgia gained candidate status to the EU only in 2023, however 2024 saw the country lose progress as the Union claimed that Georgia adopted a law in favour of the Russians with its explicit interests in mind. 2024 also saw the Georgian Dream Party attain power in the national election, which came as a surprise to many citizens due to their anti-EU stance that goes against the majority of the public. This election has since been labelled rigged with interference from the Russian government and sparked nationwide protests against the ruling party. The situation has become increasingly precarious over the last months of the year. The Georgian public seems to be clear in its wants to join the EU and distance itself from Russia, however the government seems to have different beliefs. Further, foreign actors such as Russia itself seem to play a role in the decision making process of the nation, creating an even more upsetting reality for citizens. Russian interference is an imperative reason for the EU to vote against Georgian accession, leaving the nation’s citizens in a certain no-win situation with only detriments to themselves.
Any Answers?
The EU remains powerful as we enter 2025, hence acceptance into the block continues to be exclusive with significant consequences for those who wish to assimilate themselves. While the EU guarantees economic support and security, its implicit expectations are of homogeneity and stability, which only comes with an acceptance of set hierarchies. These expectations can come with a severe cost to many nations within the European continent. Whether the trade-offs are worth investing in is something only time will tell and citizens can decide.
References
Akhfaitar, F. (2024, July 6). Analyzing Turkey’s EU membership status. Modern Diplomacy. https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2024/07/07/analyzing-turkeys-eu-membership-status/
Baccini, F. (2024, December 27). Georgia’s democracy on the Brink: Protests continue amid allegations of rigged elections and Protestor crackdown. The Parliament Magazine. https://www.theparliamentmagazine.eu/news/article/georgian-protesters-stand-up-to-increasingly-authoritarian-crackdown
Biskup, P., Chorąży, P., Dzierżanowski, P., Kozioł, A., Kaca, E., Szczepanik, M., Szymańska, J., & Zając, T. (2024). (publication). 20 years of Poland in the European Union. THE POLISH INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS. Retrieved January 3, 2025, from https://pism.pl/publications/20-years-of-poland-in-the-european-Union.
Dunai, M., & Tamma, P. (2024, December 31). Hungary loses EU funds as economic slump deepens. Financial Times. https://www.ft.com/content/fe893219-7ac3-4ff4-a01f-5cfc3e99be7c?sharetype=blocked
Magiera, O. (2024, November 6). The path to EU membership: Where do the candidate countries stand?. European Newsroom. https://europeannewsroom.com/the-path-to-eu-membership-where-do-the-candidate-countries-stand/
Thomas Mackintosh, M. D. & R. D. (2024, November 30). Georgia: Thousands protest in Tbilisi after Eu bid suspended. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62jp68p315o
Uras, U. (2023, September 20). Analysis: Is Turkey’s bid for EU membership over? Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/20/analysis-is-turkeys-bid-for-eu-membership-over
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