Turkey – fit for Europe? Europe – fit for Turkey?

What needs to change before Turkey can become a member of the European Union? And should it even want to? After all, while the EU seems, politically and economically, more and more like a sinking ship, Turkey's economy is booming. While the EU stands internally divided before the world, Turkey is emerging as the captain of the New Arab World. Is the question now still whether the EU should want Turkey, or is it whether Turkey should want Europe? And what are the consequences of this shift?

During this program we will broaden our horizons and blow fresh wind into the debate around Turkey's European integration. We will ponder not only the pros and cons of Turkish accession, but more broadly the future of Europe and of inter-cultural relations within and around it. A panel of experts from Turkey, Brussels and The Netherlands who represent positions for and against Turkish accession from the Dutch, the European, and the Turkish perspective will fight it out.
The audience is of course more than welcome to join the discussion. Artistic performances related to the theme will round off the evening.

Guests:

- Joost Lagendijk: former Dutch politician for GroenLinks. From 1998 to 2009 member of the European Parliament, since 2008 academic teacher at the Sabanci University at Istanbul and senior advisor at the European Policy Center.

- Hakan Yilmaz: Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Bogazici University in Istanbul and expert on Turkish-EU relations.

- Hasan Unal: professor of history and international politics at Gazi University in Ankara, a well-known EU-sceptic and critic of Turkey's EU accession, deputy-head of the center-right/nationalist Democrat Party in Turkey

- Philip Claeys is a Belgian politician (Vlaams Belang) as well as Member of the European Parliament, who serves in the EP Committee on Foreign Affairs. He helps shape EU policy on Turkey, whose accession he firmly opposes.

- Moderation by: Gülden Ilmaz, news anchor and editor for the Amsterdam television channel AT5

- Music by RukenB