ABSTRACT
The countries with the next highest levels of concentration of Turks are France, with 240,000 Turkish citizens, and Holland, with 215,000 Turkish citizens. The mass migration of Turks to Western Europe began in 1961, following the ratification of the recruitment agreement between Turkey and Germany. The number of Turkish citizens living in the European Union comes to half of the population of Denmark, six times that of Luxembourg, two-thirds that of Ireland, or one-fourth the population of Portugal or Greece. The negative economic conditions, unemployment, and dissatisfaction of the Turkish returnees once back home have influenced many Turks in Europe and decreased the tendency to return. The major targets were homes of asylum-seekers, but targets also included migrants settled in stable communities and even handicapped persons. The 1990s have been marked by a rise in unemployment and the Turks are among those who are most affected by unemployment in Germany.
