Turkey’s accession to full membership of the EU was called into question by the governing Liberal party VVD on Thursday during a parliamentary debate on EU expansion.

‘There has been no progress on Turkey’s accession for years; not on the position of Cyprus nor on the freedom of minorities,’ VVD MP Mark Verheijen told parliament. ‘Apart from the money it would cost, there is also the question of whether accession is still realistic.’
Verheijen said one should ask if Turkey still wants to become a full EU member. ‘People will think it is strange we are still discussing this, when the EU has its hands full with its own problems,’ he said.
Verheijen also questioned the money Turkey has received over the years to improve its systems for accession. ‘They have had €6bn since 1999 and will get another €860m this year,’ he said. ‘This means Turkey is being rewarded for the delays, even though it is a strongly growing economy.’
Mafia
During the debate Barry Madlener, an MP for the anti-Islam PVV, said Turkey has been taken hostage by ‘an Islamic mafia under the leadership of Erdogan and Gül’. He also described Albania as an ‘Islamic den of thieves’.
This led Alexander Pechtold, leader of the D66 Liberals to threaten to walk out unless Madlener moderated his language. The PVV was called to order by the debate chairman.
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