Turkey's Accession to the European Union

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Relations between Turkey and European integration institutions began with Turkey’s application for associate membership in the European Economic Community(EEC) in 1959. Turkey applied for full membership in the EEC in 1987 but did not gain candidate status until 1999. Since 1999, relations between Turkey and the European Union (EU) have gained momentum, and Turkey’s EU accession negotiations began in 2005. Since that time, discussions about the implications of Turkey’s prospective EU membership have become more serious and extensive in both Turkey and the EU.the potential advantages and drawbacks of Turkey’s EU membership for both Turkey and the EU. It considers economic, social, political, and security factors. When the enlargement process of the EU is considered,Turkey and the future of EU-Turkey relations are often discussed. As Heinz Kramer, head of the EU External Affairs research unit at the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik in Berlin, has observed, Turkey and the EU share a decades-old common history of the contractual-based relations since the late 1950s which finally led to the start of accession negotiations at the beginning of October 2005.Turkey’s relations with European integration institutions started with the Ankara Agreement signed in September 1963. Since that time, there have been ups and downs in the relationship. Since the start of Turkey’s EU accession negotiations at the beginning of October 2005, relations have gained a new momentum and ambiguity has begun to disappear.

Turkey & EU History

The founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, “pointed to achieving and even going beyond the level of contemporary civilization as the goal of the Turkish nation. In the framework of this ...

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...g-standing foreign policy projects. The ambiguities regarding the future ofthe accession process would be resolved. Turkey would take part in the European Union’s policies as a global actor, and that would strengthen the EU’s position over time.EU membership would provide a number of opportunities to Turkey to play a more active role in the international arena. After becoming a member, Turkey could be an important actor in the strengthening and implementation of the EU’s CFSP, and this would solidify its position in the EU. Additionally, Turkey’s EU membership would be beneficial for the resolution of problems between Turkey and Greece. From the security affairs perspective,with EU membership, Turkey would fully participate in the EU’s ESDP and other security initiatives.

Both the accession process and membership would have political and social

effects on Turkey.

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