Letters from Europe:

Some opinions on the EU Constitution and EU membership for Turkey

GRENOBLE, France - I have started a new custom here, a Friday happy hour after work. When I first suggested it, I was asked, "What are you celebrating?" My response, "the end of the week, the start of the weekend, and the fact that we're alive!" Odd, I had thought that since what I have seen in Europe how socializing is a big part of life, the custom of a post-work-week happy hour wouldn't be that foreign.

It goes to show we often don't know what we don't know and assume things we shouldn't.

Because of various circumstances, only one colleague could attend the happy hour with me this last week, an expatriate from Germany, Marcus. Marcus is an expatriate from his home country, as am I, but he is under a "local contract" and does not have a limited stay in France.

After the customary discussion of work related topics his girlfriend, a Frenchwoman, arrived and although it was my first meeting of Katherine (pronounced Ka-ter-een here in France), she greeted me in the French fashion between friends with the two kisses, one on each cheek. After the introductions and a last drink at the bar, they kindly invited me to join them for dinner at a nearby restaurant.

We had a typical French meal, slow, many courses, good wine, and much talk. What was interesting was when the discussion came upon the topic of the European Union, the upcoming vote in France on the EU constitution, and the possibility of Turkey joining the EU. The attitudes and arguments expressed by Marcus and Katherine could almost be said to typify many of those heard in their respective home countries.

Both Marcus and Katherine believe it is important to approve the EU constitution, but for different reasons. At the risk of sounding like a cliché, Marcus made the argument that it would help increase unity within the EU. Katherine stressed the importance of bringing together the different cultures, especially those of the recently joined nations in Eastern Europe.

In general, it seems that the young in Europe are in favor of the EU, Marcus being 35 and Katherine just turning 30 this last year. I have heard similar sentiments from other young adults here.

When it came to discussion of the prospect of Turkey joining the EU, disagreement arose, again along what could be described as representative of their respective nationalities. Both Katherine and Marcus had visited Turkey at different times. Katherine felt strongly that Turkey should join the EU both to help strengthen the EU along with to help spread "European ideals" to Turkey.

Marcus replied to Katherine that she had only visited the far Western portion of Turkey, the wealthiest section that little resembled the poor regions to the East. His contention was that Turkey was not a Christian nation, where the foundations of European culture are Christian.

A brief aside is necessary here, for when a European discusses "Christian nations" and "Christian cultures" they are not referring to what is thought when partisans in the US use these same terms. Similar to the different meanings that the words "liberal" and "conservative" have between Europe and the US, the terms "Christian nation" and "Christian culture" refer not to the creation or maintenance of a "Christian" or religious oriented culture, but instead alludes to the foundations upon which a common culture that can be labeled "European" has been built.

In other words, Marcus believes that the Muslim foundation of Turkey is not compatible with the culture of Europe, which is based upon a Christian foundation, despite now being mainly a secular society.

The discussion passed back and forth, with brief interjections from me on topics ranging from how the citizens of the US referred to the United States in the plural before the Civil War and in the singular after that traumatic transformation, to how the US was founded by cultural rejects from England who then created a culture that while "Christian" in foundation has less in common with the current European culture than it may have with other, more religious oriented cultures such as those in the Middle East.

The discussion always remained civil, and in refreshing contrast to what I have seen in the US, agreement was not required nor expected. Perhaps there are still things we can learn from Old Europe.

Technorati Tags: commentary, EU, European Union, opinion