Accession of Turkey to the European Union—A Question of Advantage?

On October 25, 2005 the European Union (EU) has started negotiations with Turkey about a possible accession. Within the scope of the controversially discussed topic, there is one main question: What effect would the perceived wealth oriented advantages and disadvantages have on a possible accession of a further country with regard to EU citizens` forming of opinion? In view of the results of the existing analysis, one can assume that on one hand there is a mainly advantage-oriented approach concerning candidate countries – as is Turkey. On the other hand, the willingness to accept new members is also influenced by the duration and the advantage taken of the own EU-Membership – differentiated by country groups. Key words: European Union; Enlargement; EU accession of Turkey; Public opinion