Have We Been Singled Out?

HURRIYET- Columnist Oktay Eksi comments on a recent chorus of allegations from certain circles in Turkey that the EU has taken a stance against Turkey and turned a blind eye to its concerns. A summary of his column is as follows:
Following some recent statements by Turkish politicians and officials arguing that the European Union gives short shrift to Turkey’s concerns on certain sensitive issues, there are signs that tensions between a number of Turkish officials and the EU are increasing. The mindset behind these remarks and allegations is that the EU has always been against Turkey and turned a blind eye to its concerns. Is that really the situation?
Let’s review the facts:
We don’t deny that the EU has little sympathy for Turkey and moreover has a number of prejudices against it. However, when we look more closely at the situation, we see that these prejudices are neither as strong nor as deep as we think.
Some circles think that the Turkey is the only country which the EU has imposed demands on. They allege the EU is trying to provoke our citizens of Kurdish origin by insisting on their right to learn and broadcast in their own mother tongue and that it doesn’t care about Turkey’s territorial integrity.
In fact, this is not the case at all. Historically speaking, the EU has always insisted on the same standards in its relations with candidate countries. Says one EU document: ‘The judiciary must be independent, freedom of expression must be extended, new reforms must be made to improve central and local administrative systems and minorities must not face any discrimination.’ It has also insistently rebuked those countries which failed to take action on these issues.
What happened in similar past situations?
For example, in 1999 the EU warned Bulgaria that it found the government’s efforts to socially integrate its minority Roma (Gypsy) population ineffective and inefficient. Since then, it has continued to press Bulgaria on other problems such as corruption and a lack of transparency in public administration.
Moreover, Poland and Slovakia had similar experiences with the EU. They have been warned by the EU about widespread corruption, problems in the judiciary, violence against women, the rights of minorities, the independence and freedom of the press...etc.
As you see, Turkey has not been singled out…

SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION