washmun x · germany, italy, and luxembourg. after world war ii, the leaders of these countries...
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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 [email protected]. 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 [email protected]. 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 [email protected] .
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