Almost 90% of Germans Against Turkey's EU Membership

An 86 percent majority of German citizens and 84 percent of Dutch are against the potential membership of Turkey in the European Union, while the least resistance to the idea was felt among the Spanish (60 percent), according to the poll.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — An 86 percent majority of German citizens are against the potential membership of Turkey in the European Union, a poll showed Friday.

The survey carried out by the European People's Party group (EPP Group) showed that the majority of Dutch (84 percent) also were against Ankara joining the bloc, whereas the least resistance to the idea was felt among the Spanish (60 percent).

Overall, the poll revealed that a total 77 percent of the 1,000 people surveyed in Germany, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Sweden and Spain are against Turkey being a member of the European Union.

Ankara signed an association agreement with the then-European Community in 1963, and submitted a membership application in 1987. Talks concerning Turkish membership into the European Union began in 2005. On November 24, European lawmakers voted in favor of freezing EU accession talks with Turkey until it lifted restrictive measures in the country, which have been set in place since a failed coup in July 2016.