Switzerland, Turkey, and the EU

When Lindsie and I arrived at the Lyon main train station about fifteen minutes before our train to Geneva left the platform. The Lyon station was absolutely packed. There were people everywhere. As we reached the station, we realized that the train that was to leave was a TGV train – we needed a reservation. It was difficult just to find out where the platform was from which our train was to depart, let alone get to a ticket office and buy a reservation on board the train that was to depart in less than 15 minutes. So, we hoped that we wouldn’t get caught and got on the train anyway. To avoid detection, we stayed in the back of the train near the baggage cart.

We weren’t alone. There was a young French lady, a middle-aged French lady, and two young Swiss gentlemen in the back of the train with us. During the trip, we learned that the young French lady didn’t have a ticket either, so she shared our concern about the “controlleur” coming back to check our reservations. Fortunately, no one came, but the cramped circumstances and awkwardness of the situation encouraged a dialogue between us.

We talked of many things, most of which was the future of the EU and the likelihood of Switzerland and Turkey acceding to the EU. The two Swiss gentlemen both felt like Switzerland would never join the EU. They felt that Switzerland was just fine on its own and that the Swiss economy was strong enough to withstand the pressures of the world economy. They felt like the government was behaving responsibly by subsidizing ranchers and farmers. These two gentlemen, who spoke English quite well, said they thought it would only be a matter of time before the EU government became centralized and federal. Whether or not that will actually happen is up for debate I suppose.

Regarding Turkey, our companions didn’t seem to have a strong opinion on the matter. I attribute that to their being Swiss. Switzerland has no vested interest in Turkey’s accession to the EU, so I was not surprised to see that they had no opinion. The French ladies that were with said they were not sufficiently informed about the issue to make a decision, but in principle, they did not oppose the idea. I would be interested to know what their views will be when Turkey is ever admitted to the EU, if it ever is.