ONE IN THREE IRISH AGAINST TURKEY JOINING EU
By Martin Wall Irish Times

AZG Armenian Daily #168
20/09/2005

World press

About one-third of Irish people would oppose Turkish membership of
the EU, a new opinion poll has found.

The poll on Irish attitudes to the EU also indicates that half the
population is undecided about the proposed EU constitution.

The latest Eurobarometer poll, published yesterday by the EU Commission
representation in Ireland, suggests that the overwhelming majority
of people believe the country has benefited from EU membership.

The poll also reveals that just over half of Irish respondents are
“for” developments towards political union. However, it suggests that
there are significant reservations about future EU enlargement.

Just under 40 per cent of those surveyed support limiting enlargement
to only some of the countries that wish to join the EU. Some 13 per
cent of respondents believe no additional countries should be allowed
into the EU.

A total of 29 per cent of respondents favour an enlargement of the
EU to include all countries that wished to join.

When asked about specific countries seeking to join, 34 per cent said
they would oppose the membership of Turkey. One-third said that they
would support Turkey joining the EU, and 29 per cent had no opinion.

The poll found Irish people opposed to Turkish membership were likely
to agree with the view that cultural differences were “too significant
to allow for this accession”.

Those in favour of Turkish membership were likely to agree with the
view that it is part of Europe because of its geography (90 per cent);
its history (80 per cent); that Turkey’s membership would enhance
understanding between European and Muslim values (81 per cent); and
strengthen security and help rejuvenate an ageing European population
(70 per cent).

The poll indicates that Irish people would favour the accession of
countries such as Norway, Switzerland and Iceland. It found 50 per
cent of respondents said that they did not have an opinion on the
proposed EU constitution.

A total of 37 per cent were in favour of the constitution, while 13
per cent were against.

The poll also suggests that while most people had heard of the
constitution, the majority is unaware of its provisions.

Some 15 per cent of respondents had heard of the constitution and
knew of its contents, while 62 per cent had heard of it but knew
little about what it contained.

The most common reason Irish people had for supporting the constitution
(38 per cent) was that they saw it as essential for the smooth running
of EU institutions.

Some 29 per cent supported the document because it strengthened the
feeling of European identity.

The most common reason (41 per cent) people gave for opposing the
constitution was that they associated it with a loss of national
sovereignty. Almost the same percentage cited a lack of information
as a reason for their opposition.

The poll of 1,006 people in Ireland was carried out by TNS MRBI
last May and June, partly before the referendums in France and the
Netherlands on the constitution.