Ahtisaari: "Angst voor golf Turkse migranten erg overdreven" (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The head of an independent Commission investigating Turkish membership of the European Union has branded fears of an influx of immigrants to Europe as "vastly exaggerated".

Martti Ahtisaari, former Finnish president and chair of a high-level group investigating Turkish EU membership said on Monday (6 September) that the group's findings had shown fears of a massive influx of migrants to Europe to be unfounded.

Announcing the publication of a report produced by a nine-strong panel, Mr Ahtisaari said that forecasts indicate 2.7 million migrants arriving from Turkey in the long term, making up 0.5 percent of the EU's population.

The panel includes academics as well as former prime ministers, European commissioners and foreign ministers.

Ready or not?

An influx of Muslim workers to Europe after Turkey becomes part of the EU's zone of free movement is often cited by those who fear the negative effects of Turkish membership.

Mr Ahtisaari however said that immigration would be necessary to maintain the welfare systems of many European countries, which will increasingly suffer the effects of ageing populations.

According to the report, future Turkish migration is likely to include more "professional and better educated people" - in contrast to the many Turkish migrants from rural areas who arrived to Europe in the 1950's and 60's under guest worker schemes.

This, it is said, would make integration easier.

Around 3.8 million Turkish migrants are thought to live in Europe today.

Criteria met

The report does not touch on the issue if Turkey has met the political or economic criteria which will form the basis of the EU's decision to start negations with Turkey later this year.

It predicts that Turkish membership would boost the EU's interests in the Middle East, the Balkans, its internal trade as well as boosting ties with the Islamic world.

But while there are problems such as the EU's ability to integrate such a large member state into its decision making procedures, none are insurmountable according to the group.

The report's publication coincides with a five day visit to Turkey by Enlargement Commissioner Günter Verheugen.

His visit comes ahead of the Commission's report on Turkey's progress in meeting the EU's membership criteria, which will go some way to determining whether negotiations begin in 2005.