Turkey As A Full Member Would Make The E.U. Stronger

ANKARA (AA) - The European Union (EU) is very close to becoming an economic super power with the addition of 10 new members last May and the upcoming accession of four other states that includes Turkey. The EU is now economically bigger than the United States.
     With 15 members, the EU was 831 billion U.S. dollars behind the national income of the U.S.. However, with the addition of 10 members in 2004, the EU was 116 billion U.S. dollars ahead of the U.S. national income. When Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia join the EU, the EU would then be 856 billion U.S. dollars ahead of the U.S. national income.
     The EU presently has 25 member states with a territory of 3,987,000 square kilometers. The population of the EU is approximately 454 million. The EU gross domestic national product value is about 11 trillion and 30 billion U.S. dollars.
     With the accession of four new members in the next few years, the EU would have a total territory of more than 5,000,000 square kilometers. The four new members would make the EU population 550 million people. The EU gross domestic national product would be higher than 12 trillion U.S. dollars.
     Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia are expected to become full EU members in 2007. Turkey, according to political experts, would not join the EU before 2014. A possible membership of Albania, Serbia-Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia will be discussed in the upcoming years. Both Norway and Switzerland held public referendums in which the peoples of these two European countries rejected joining the EU.
     One country that can have the greatest impact on the EU among all potential members is Turkey. Turkey's accession will increase the EU population by 15,6, national incomes by 4,3, and territory by 19,5 percent.
     The world's biggest economy EU is followed by the U.S. with 10 trillion 914 billion U.S. dollars. China ranks as the third biggest economy while Japan is fourth.
     Here are some statistics on 15, 25 and 29 member EU, Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, U.S., China, Japan, India, Brasil, and Russia based on 2003 data:
    
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     .
     . Territory Populat. Income GDNP
     . ( Km2) (Million) (Dollar)(Billion Dollar)
     -------- --------- -------- ------- -------
     EU (15) 3243 379,8 26552 10083
     EU (25) 3987 454,0 24294 11030
     EU (29) 5168 559,2 21047 11770
    
     Candidates
     -------
     T? 775 70,7 6690 473
     Romania 238 22,2 7140 159
     Bulgaria 111 7,8 7610 60
     Croatia 57 4,5 10710 48
    
     EU (29) 5168 559,2 21047 11770
     EU (25) 3987 454,0 24294 11030
     EU (15) 3243 379,8 26552 10083
     USA 9629 291,0 37500 10914
     China 9598 1288,4 4990 6435
     Japan 378 127,2 28620 3641
     India 3287 1064,4 2880 3068
     Brasil 8547 176,6 7480 1322
     Russia 17075 143,4 8920 1279
     WORLD 133883 6271,7 8180 51314
    
    
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     (ES-A֩
2004-12-17