possible for Europe to become a single state?

Perhaps a better question is why would Europe want to become a single "state?"  In the highly unlikely event of Europe becoming one, Europe would have to assume it's place as a major power.  There seems to be little advantage in that. 

The EEC has been subsumed into the European Union; the Euro is a recognized medium of exchange, so Europe has about as much economic clout as it can aspire to.  Most importantly, NATO provides the essential defense establishment that protects Europe, and effectively gives it international standing.

Despite being a communist Beylebeyi nails the situation here.

Turkey being a nation of 99% Muslims both is and isn't a problem. In theory it shouldn't be a problem as the Turkish state is secular while Islam simply happens to be the religion of choice among its citizens. Freedom of worship is guaranteed in the EU and many member nations already have Muslim as well as other religious minorities. It raises the question however of whether it's worth alienating the member states with a conservative Christian population, particularly in eastern Europe, who are strongly against Muslims entering the union. I would say no if the resistance is so strong it could threaten the stability of the union.

NATO, while drawing its staff from across all the member states, still has its supreme commands reserved for US officers. It is a heritage from the end of WW2 and the start of the Cold War, when Europe was deemed incapable of defending itself in a Soviet attack scenario. As such NATO served its purpose, but the EU has more than enough resources now to organise a defence of its own without any US involvement, and hence it is only natural that the importance of NATO in Europe is phased out over time. Not that it needs to disappear completely, it is after all the most powerful military alliance in the world and as long as relations between the member states are good there is nothing to gain from dissolving it just for the sake of dissolving it, but the military spendings and responsibilities should be more equally divided between the EU, the US and the remaining independent states.

Concerning the "Russian scare", it is indeed blown out of proportions by the media these days, I don't know whether it's out of ignorance or because sensationalism sells more or both. Russia and the EU however have little to gain and much to lose on a war scenario, and now more than ever is the right time to foster a closer relationship with Russia.

Reginmund Turkey being a nation of 99% Muslims both is and isn't a problem. In theory it shouldn't be a problem as the Turkish state is secular while Islam simply happens to be the religion of choice among its citizens. Freedom of worship is guaranteed in the EU and many member nations already have Muslim as well as other religious minorities. It raises the question however of whether it's worth alienating the member states with a conservative Christian population, particularly in eastern Europe, who are strongly against Muslims entering the union. I would say no if the resistance is so strong it could threaten the stability of the union..

It is the problem and the EU has been beating around the bush for decades now regarding Turkey's accesion into the "club". For example Bulgaria hasn't had to do half of what Turkey's had to do but they were let straight in.
Turkey has been stupid as well, they should cut the entry talks and threaten to walk away, then the EU will start panicking and forced into changing the stalemate.

In my opinion Turkey will never be accepted and the only way they may get even close to being accepted is if they find another union and walk away from the EU.

Originally posted by Reginmund Originally posted by Beylerbeyi Yea, it is the conservative reaction from the people which is the problem, but it is as strong if not stronger, in Western Europe. Western Europeans don't want any more immigration, especially from a Muslim country. All the Sarkozys and Merkels of Europe have to deal with this fact. This is true and immigration from groups that have proven problematic to integrate should be restricted as much as possible to minimize the harmful effect they have on society. But whether or not they are hard to integrate depends more on cultural traditions than religion, and Turks, who aren't much different from say Greeks, are hardly troublesome in that respect. As an example one of the least successful immigrant groups in my own country are the Somalis, while among the most successful you find the Bosnians. They are both Muslim but as Bosnian culture is far closer to Norwegian they integrate more easily regardless of religion, while Somali culture (and perhaps appearance) is too alien for a similarly smooth process.

Mr. Ibrahimovic integrated pretty well

Originally posted by Reginmund Despite being a communist Beylebeyi nails the situation here. It raises the question however of whether it's worth alienating the member states with a conservative Christian population, particularly in eastern Europe, who are strongly against Muslims entering the union. I would say no if the resistance is so strong it could threaten the stability of the union.

Turkey has some political complications as well- Cyprus/Aegean, occupying an EU state puts it and the EU in an akward position. Can blame the EU for letting Cyrus in to early, but if other countries wanted their 'picks' in, Greece had as much right to negotiate the same. benefits for being an early member i guess.

Originally posted by Leonidas Debt market. The Greek governmant is having trouble funding its liabilities (pensions are a big one), if it cant find it on the market from debt buyers (funders) who's going to cover it? It will be the EU.   Default rates for Greece shot up this month, so the market are pricing Greece out.

yeah OK but no pension funding goes to the EU and Germany can't choose what the money is spend on.

Originally posted by Temujin Originally posted by Leonidas Debt market. The Greek governmant is having trouble funding its liabilities (pensions are a big one), if it cant find it on the market from debt buyers (funders) who's going to cover it? It will be the EU.   Default rates for Greece shot up this month, so the market are pricing Greece out. yeah OK but no pension funding goes to the EU and Germany can't choose what the money is spend on.

I know it wont be directly funded, but the EU will subsidise other parts of their budget, and certianly will make sure the country doesn't go under . It does then indirectly fund these other liabilities. German or Dutch tax payers who are net creditors might not like this situation if their own country (esp personal situation) is in major economic stress. They can (and will) in time connect the dots. My original point was more along the lines of; if everyone is suffering will such charity be tolerated? I think nationalism will start to rise more as everyone tries to look after their own, the EU will have some tough days ahead of it.

Some EU states had done the right thing and others have not, the guys that did will now have to support the more fiscally challenged members. There is a bit of a moral issue within this EU structure of rewarding bad governance, this will be exploited by anti-EU politicians.