High hopes for Turkey's full EU bid, research says

Recent research suggests that almost half of the people in Turkey believe the country will become a full member of the EU. The results from the fifth year of research on Turkish citizens and the EU conducted by the Turkey-Europe Education and Scientific Research Foundation (TAVAK) indicates that 43 percent of those surveyed believe in full EU membership, which is a record high, as opposed to the record low of 17 percent in 2012.

Responding to the question of whether Turkey will be able to become a full member of the EU during the seven-year EU budget term between 2020 and 2027, 51 percent of participants answered "yes," while 31 percent answered "no." The remaining 18 percent said that Turkey will never become a full member. The study said that the time period is given as such because large countries like Turkey can only be accepted into the EU during seven-year budget terms.

When asked which country is the most prominent obstacle to Turkey's full membership, 51 percent of those surveyed claimed it was Germany, as was also the case in 2014. France, which previously was considered the country most opposed until François Hollande's election as president in 2012, is believed to be the country providing the largest obstacle by 20 percent of those surveyed. Additionally, 4 percent believed that the Greek Cyprus constituted the strongest opposition and 25 percent indicated other countries.

The study says that there is no significant change in the Turkish government's efforts regarding the EU, however 53 percent of the participants said that the government's efforts toward becoming a full member was insufficient while 37 percent demanded more serious steps toward it. Furthermore, the research suggests that Turkish citizens do not perceive any other alternative to the EU and they believe that the opposition of EU countries to Turkey's full membership is due to Islamophobia or anti-Islamic notions.