WASHMUN X Specialized Committee:

European Union

Chaired by: Mia Tanner, Sara Berhe-Abraha, and Will Carlson

Delegates, My name is Will Carlson and I am a Senior here at Washington-Lee. This is my 7th year

participating in MUN, and my 4th in high school. I previously participated in MUN for the Williamsburg Middle School team, and I’ve chaired SPECPOL and a US Senate committee at previous WASHMUNs. Outside of MUN, I’m a captain of the Varsity Baseball team and a big fan of the NBA. After a great experience at previous years’ conferences, I’m very excited for this year and look forward to an awesome committee with great discussion and diplomacy. If you have any questions about this committee, conference, MUN, or high school in general, you can email me at willll4343@gmail.com. Hello Delegates! My name is Mia Tanner and I’m looking forward to co-chairing the EU committee at WASHMUN this year! I am a sophomore at Washington-Lee and this is my second year of MUN. Along with MUN, I participate in MGA (Model General Assembly) and JV field hockey. I also spend my time at book club meetings, playing guitar, and singing in an acapella group! With regards to committee, I’m excited to hear what ideas you all can come up with to address these relevant world problems! I hope to see unique solutions and engaging debate, but mostly I hope you all have a great time and enjoy yourselves. If you have any questions about the conference, Washington-Lee, or pretty much anything, my email is miatanner123@gmail.com. Hi Delegates, My name is Sara Berhe-Abraha and I’m excited to be co-chairing at WASHMUN this year. I’m a freshman at Washington-Lee High school and this is my first year doing MUN. Outside of Model UN, I do Track & Field and KEY club. Some of my other hobbies include reading and writing. After going to a conference at William & Mary this past fall, the idea of being chair struck me as a fun experience. I can’t wait to see what solutions you guys bring to the table this coming conference. I’m excited to meet all of you and hear discussion on the topics of Turkey and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Until then, feel free to email me about any questions you have about WASHMUN at sara.berhe.abraha@gmail.com .

Background on The European Union

The European Union (EU) is an economic and political organization of 28 European

countries with the common goal of promoting economic cooperation. The EU was founded in

1958 as the European Economic Community by six countries: Belgium, France, the Netherlands,

Germany, Italy, and Luxembourg. After World War II, the leaders of these countries decided the

best way to prevent war between European nations was to increase economic cooperation among

them. The EU has since expanded to include 28 total nations. In 1999, the EU created a common

currency, the Euro, and a single market known as the Eurozone. Countries in the Eurozone all

use the Euro and have eliminated trade barriers between themselves. The EU creates common

trade policy and regulations for member countries to help facilitate commerce and the single

market. Since its creation, EU members have had 70 years of peace, the longest war-free period

in Europe’s modern history.

Topic #1: The Inclusion of Turkey in the EU

Starting with the 1963 Ankara Agreement, Turkey and the EU have worked closely

together in the international world. The agreement was created when Turkey originally applied

for associate membership (when countries agree to the organization's values- promoting a broad

European front of furthering democracy, a united trade group, and more- but not all of its

activities or political objectives) of the European Economic Community (EEC), the predecessor

to the EU, in 1959. Instead of granting Turkey the associate membership they were seeking, the

signed treaty created the European Union-Turkey Customs Union, which enabled the free flow

of goods between countries without customs, yet also recognized the goal of eventual accession,

which essentially means acceptance into the union as a fully-fledged member state. However, the

free trade agreements (FTAs) between the member nations of the EU and Turkey allow EU

member states to export goods to Turkey without tariffs, while keeping their tariffs on Turkish

goods. Turkey is also a member of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (Euromed), which pushes

for democratic reforms in countries in addition to working towards balanced economic

integration.

Turkey originally applied to join the EU (EEC) as it was a natural step to take, Turkey

being one of the first countries to become a member of the Council of Europe (an organization in

Europe that maintains democracy, rule of law and human rights) after its founding in 1949. On

14 April 1987, Turkey formally submitted its application for membership to the EEC, which

responded by once again confirming that the Ankara treaty’s goal of eventual membership was

still valid, but also deferred the matter to after Turkey’s political and economic situation had

improved. At the time, Turkey was recovering still from a 1980 coup d’état and change of

government, and had instituted a completely new constitution only five years prior to their

application submission. This position of recognition and deferment continued without

development until 1999, when Turkey was officially labeled as a candidate of equal standing as

other candidates for EU membership at the Helsinki European Council. After many delays,

negotiations for full membership were opened in October 2005.

Since 2016, negotiations have stalled. Top EU officials have said it looks like Turkey is

certainly moving away from the European perspective in terms of culture. Officials like Johannes

Hahn have expressed hope for continuing to work together -- but on the topic of Turkey joining

or becoming closer with the EU, it seems like in the eyes of the EU, Turkey certainly needs to

change things around and become wholly dedicated to pursuing European ideals of democracy,

equal rights, liberties, etc. Turkey seems to not see this and has publicly rejected these

statements, seemingly convinced that they have done little to regress their cultural stances or

progressive intentions since when they were originally active in accession talks. Not only does

Turkey pitch itself as not having changed enough to warrant the EU’s shifted perspective, they

contest that they still fully deserve membership in the EU and have rightfully so for a long time.

Turkey argues that it still deserves membership primarily due to their long history of

working with the EU and even doing so under promise of eventual accession. Incentive-wise,

benefits like visa-free travel across Europe and potentially better trade deals would be greatly

beneficial to the Turkish economy. They could expect to see development aid granted by the EU,

much like what was given to Greece, Ireland, and Portugal. There is also the expectation of

increased European and foreign investment into the Turkish economy. In sum, the quality of

living and being a Turkish citizen would greatly rise.

However, many EU member nations have completely come out against Turkish

accession. Both France and Germany have cast serious doubt on Turkey’s validity as a candidate.

Due to concerns over immigration processes, violation of human rights, and corruption within

the Turkish government, the EU has at least in part been wholly against Turkey’s accession. In

just August of last year, Turkey detained reportedly 50 German citizens in prisons despite only

seven of them carrying criminal charges after a failed coup in July of 2016. Another issue that

Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor, has not hesitated to bring up time and time again is

Europe’s migrant crisis. There is significant fear within the EU that Turkey’s borders are not

secure enough to prevent illegal immigration in mass numbers. Turkey and the EU do have a

form of an immigration agreement, signed in 2016, in which the EU promised Turkey €6 billion

in aid in exchange for Turkey hosting and educating millions of refugees and would-be or

attempted illegal immigrants. Any Syrian refugees attempting to enter Europe illegally would be

sent back to Turkey following March 20, 2016. Since the deal was signed, there have been

controversies and disputes on both sides, but the number of illegal migrants entering Europe via

the Aegean Sea has gone down.

Many other specific foreign relations between member states and Turkey also are

blocking it from joining the EU. One major part is Turkey-Cyprus relations, which have

historically been very strained after Turkey invaded a third of Cyprus and refused to recognize

the Republic of Cyprus until they removed their blockades on the Turkish part of the island. This

caused complications within the customs union, as Turkey refused to agree to a trade agreement

with the EU that would have allowed Greek Cypriot vessels to use its ports -- a refusal that

prompted the EU to freeze eight chapters in the Turkish accession talks.

Another issue cited within Turkey is their religion. Many argue that the state simply does

not “fit in” to the EU as despite being officially secular, as 82% of the citizenry is Muslim, 70%

of whom are Sunni. As Europe is predominantly Christian, some point to this difference as an

impossible, fundamental cultural difference that would cause problems with the overall unity of

the EU. Along the lines of these cultural differences, Turkey is also historically anti-LGBT, and

went so far as to ban LGBT pride parades in 2015 and 2016. The reasons given for such a ban

were security concerns and religious sensitivities during the month of Ramadan.

Turkey also has a fundamental establishment of censorship. Article 301 is infamous

within the Turkish code as it states, "a person who publicly insults the Turkish nation, the State

of the Republic of Turkey, or the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, shall be punishable by

imprisonment of between six months and two years." The EU has been openly critical of this law

as well. In September 2006, the European Parliament called to abolish laws such as Article 301

after the trial of Orhan Pamuk. In April of 2008, the law was reformed -- but just so that it

became a crime to insult the "Turkish nation" rather than "Turkishness.” In general, the EU

remains critical of Turkey’s implementation of their legislation on civil rights, women’s rights,

and human rights in general. Despite having it in the code of their nation, it seems that the actual

actions and consequences established along these lines are severely lacking in enforcement, if

they are enforced at all to begin with.

Questions to Consider

1. Has Turkey violated human rights? If so, what must happen before it can be accepted into

the EU?

2. What can Turkey and the EU do to strengthen their relationship?

3. Should Turkey and the EU remain/become more distant? Why?

Topic #2: The Russian invasion of the Ukraine

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in December of 1991, Ukraine gained its

independence from rule in Moscow. Since the dissolution of the USSR, the Russian government

has made repeated attempts to exert influence over Ukraine in order to keep Ukraine in Russia’s

sphere of influence. One example was in 2003, when Russia attempted to attack and seize an

island off the Crimean peninsula in the Black Sea. Ukraine fought back and was able to keep its

territory. Ten years later, however, the domestic political instability under the administration of

pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych gave Russia an opportunity to involve themselves in

Ukraine again. Conflict arose when Yanukovych and the government suspended the signing of

an agreement between the European Union and Ukraine that would have created a framework for

co-operation between them. This angered Ukrainian citizens, as the EU would have provided

them with protection from Russia, protection of human rights, democracy, and the ability to

work towards a European future.

In November of 2013, the anger towards the government boiled over into mass protests

and civil unrest. Early protests were centered around the capital Kiev and were student-led. The

main goal was to pressure Yanukovych into signing the agreement. Soon, the protests took up

the broader issue of perceived government violation of human rights and corruption. As the

protests gained more traction, they spawned large nationwide demonstrations that concerned

issues far greater than just joining the EU. In response to the unrest, Yanukovych leaned further

towards Russia. The government took violent measures to prevent protest, causing the death of

as many as 100 protestors. In early February of 2014, the citizens of Ukraine were successful in

the impeachment of Viktor Yanukovych, who fled to exile in Russia and reportedly stole

millions from the Ukrainian government before leaving.

Soon after the impeachment of Yanukovych, Russia declared the Ukrainian government

to be illegitimate. On February 22-23 of 2014, unmarked Russian soldiers entered Crimea and

occupied various points throughout the area, such as the Sevastopol airport and even the Crimean

parliament building. Russia initially refused to acknowledge the soldiers were theirs, but have

since informally acknowledged the soldiers were from the Russian military at various times. The

soldiers installed a pro-Russia government in Crimea, which held a referendum that said 97% of

voters wanted Crimea to become a part of Russia. Although the West condemned the referendum

as a sham, Russian president Vladimir Putin signed a bill annexing Crimea and making it a part

of Russia.

There was additional conflict elsewhere in the country. In the east, armed conflict had

broken out between the Ukrainian military and pro-Russian separatists. Separatists seized

airports and public buildings, including in the large city of Donetsk, and declared themselves

separate of Ukraine. Throughout the spring of 2014, conflict escalated and included mortar

attacks, the deployment of Ukrainian tanks and air force, and full scale military offensives.

In the summer of 2014, Russia and Ukraine agreed to de-escalate the situation. This was

only made possible because the EU and US stepped in by having meetings and making them

aware that there would be consequences if Russia didn’t agree to de-escalate the situation.

Despite this, fighting in the east has continued and Russia has continued integrating Crimea into

Russia. Recently, in November of 2018, Russia attacked a Ukrainian Navy ship in the Black Sea

and took Ukrainian sailors as prisoners. This incident prompted a strong international

condemnation and even caused US President Trump to cancel a meeting he had set up with

Russian President Putin. Although there has been talk of possible consequences, the EU hasn’t

stepped up any of the sanctions that were previously placed on Russia in 2014.

Sanctions the EU has currently placed on Russia include freezing European bank

accounts and assets of various Russian government officials and the banning of exporting goods

to Russia. Economic sanctions like these are designed to place pressure on the people around

Vladimir Putin and make increase the consequences of further potential intervention in Ukraine.

Putin’s attacks on Crimea have boosted his approval ratings and gotten him more support

at home. Influence and control over Ukraine would also have large economic benefits for Russia.

It was a major supplier of industrial equipment, raw materials and constituted 1/4th of the total

agricultural output when it was a part of the Soviet Union. Russia also wants to have access to

key naval bases and ports on the Black Sea in Crimea. Other European countries are worried that

if Russia succeeds in their campaign of aggression towards Ukraine, they could be Russia’s next

target. The EU fears Russian economic retribution towards them because of the large amount of

oil they import from Russia. Some citizens of Crimea, Muslim Tatars to be exact, were

frightened by Russia’s advances towards Ukraine because of the ethnic cleansing their ancestors

had to go through during the era of the Soviet Union. Clearly, many groups have a stake in this

issue, and although neither Ukraine nor Russia are EU members, their actions greatly affect the

EU.

Questions to Consider

1. Should the EU apply economic consequences (like sanctions or halting certain trade

agreements) to Russia in response to its involvement in Ukraine?

2. Would a referendum held by the EU on Crimea be helpful to improving stability in

Ukraine?

3. What approach could Ukraine take towards Russia to maintain peace?

Position Paper Guidelines

Preparing a position paper is essential to being fully prepared for any conference. At WASHMUN, delegates must submit a position paper if they wish to be considered for awards. We suggest that position papers follow this format:

● A cover page with your name, school name, position title, and optional country/state flag

● About 1-2 pages written in response to each topic, including background information, past action, and suggested solutions

● Suggested solutions should be the most in depth section of the paper ● Bibliography

Do not forget to cite your sources in a bibliography. Under WASHMUN conference policy, any paper without citations will be considered plagiarized.

Positions

Germany France Italy UK

Poland Spain Turkey (non-voting) Romania

Belgium Portugal Hungary Sweden

The Netherlands Finland Greece Czech Republic

Bulgaria Cyprus Denmark Slovakia

Luxembourg Lithuania Malta Austria

Ireland Slovenia Estonia Latvia

Sources

https://www.euronews.com/2017/04/10/turkey-is-no-longer-an-eu-candidate-mep-says

http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/countries/turkey/

https://web.archive.org/web/20070412110934/http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/president/

pdf/interview_20061015_en.pdf

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/enlargement/briefings/7a1_en.htm

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkeys-eu-dream-is-over-for-now-top-eu-official-says-11263

8

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-referendum-europe-idUSKBN16T13E

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-26248275

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2018/11/26/russias-conflict-with-ukraine-an-

explainer/

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Viktor-Yanukovych

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30131108

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-18287223

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-18018002

https://europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/eu-in-brief_en

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-27072351

https://www.thebalance.com/ukraine-crisis-summary-and-explanation-3970462

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46340283

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46386160