Turkey and the EU: strategic implications for Central Europe

The discussion on European-Turkish relations is in many cases underpinned with arbitrary historical references and questionable cultural-religious argumentations. Although few European intellectuals publicly reject Turkey's membership bid on the basis of its Islamic identity, it is clear that many elites and the general public feel uneasy about Europe and Islam. These positions are genuinely challenged by the view that Europe is not and should not become a Christian Club, but a zone of cultural and religious diversity.