European Union Membership Process Of Turkey; Its Pros And Cons For Turkey

European Union Membership Process Of Turkey; Its Pros And Cons For Turkey

Turhan , Durmus Gokhan

The membership process of Turkey has been carried out since 1959 when Turkey first applied to join what was then called the European Economic Community. This process had profound influence on Turkey in many fields such as economy, social life, international policy, education etc. The first agreement signed between Turkey and European Union was “Ankara Agreement” which took place in 12 September 1963. This agreement envisaged establishment of customs union, which is aimed at integration of Turkey and European Economic Community in three main phases. Following this agreement additional protocols were signed. The year 1987 was another turning point for the process that Turkey applied for full membership on this date. Besides the developments in 1987, in 2004 Turkey realized an important step on the way to becoming a full member. In 2004 European Union Member States decided that negotiations with Turkey could be initiated. The negotiations are still carried out. All of the agreements and protocols in the process required Turkey perform new policies which affect the society in many fields. The question of how this process has affected Turkey, which is asked by many, is still one of the most questioned issues of Turkey. It is obvious that 53 years-old process has had a lot of advantages and disadvantages for Turkey. To see the main pros and cons clearly, the issue must be analyzed under three main subtitles; economy, social life and policy. Keywords: EU, Turkey, Membership Process, Customs Union, Ankara Agreement.

Conference or Workshop Item
PeerReviewed

2012-05-31

1331