British MPs: "If Turkey joins the EU, increased riskd would result, but the union would ultimalety benefit"

Turkey's accession to the European Union would pose serious risks to the security of the bloc's external borders and make member states more vulnerable to organized crime, but in the long run Turkish membership would benefit the Union, said a new report by UK parliamentarians released yesterday. The report, issued by Parliament's Home Affairs Committee, said that if Turkey joins the EU, the union's borders would extend to Syria, Iran and Iraq, "which pose a considerable security risk, including as a source of large numbers of irregular migrants." It added that Turkish organized crime groups involved in drug trafficking or illegal immigration pose a "substantial threat" to the EU's internal security. The report said Brussels must apply "a very stringent set of conditions relating to border security, all of which must be clearly and objectively demonstrated to have been met by Turkey prior to accession." The report also urged caution in allowing Turkish citizens full freedom of movement on membership, saying it may be better to impose limits such as those placed on Bulgaria and Romanian nationals following their accession. But it stressed that in the long-term, the security risks were "considerably outweighed by the potential benefits" of Turkish membership, which would allow for increased cooperation within EU law enforcement agencies. And it warned that the willingness of the Turkish authorities to tackle illegal immigration and drug trafficking may disappear if it thinks EU membership is not achievable.