Turkish-German relations have a long tradition and deep cultural, economical and social roots. As a consequence of the Turkey’s EU membership process and the existence of the Turkish diaspora in Germany, these relations have been intensified. Germany remains Turkey's most important economic and commercial partner within the EU. The volume of bilateral trade, worth 14 billion euro annually, has doubled in the past ten years. Nearly 14 per cent of Turkey's exports go to Germany, while 1,7 per cent of Germany's total exports go to Turkey. There are nearly 1,100 German companies operating in Turkey today, and over three million German tourists visit Turkey each year. There are an estimated 2.5 million Turks living in Germany today, and 600,000 of them have already become German citizens.
Burning issues
Turkey’s accession to the EU
Germany, which will hold the EU Presidency from 1 January 2007, is critical of Turkish EU-membership. Christian Democrat leader Angela Merkel reiterated that she was in favor of privileged partnership to be given to Turkey instead of full membership and said that they wanted to improve their dialogue and co-operation. Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union party had taken an increasingly tough stance against Turkey's membership prospects, while her coalition partners, the Social Democrats, had long favored Turkey becoming a member. But observers suggest that Merkel was becoming more pragmatic and did not want to undermine the Union's pledge in 2005 to start formal negotiations with Ankara.
