in: Turkey's Challenges and Transformation: Politics and Society on the Centennial of the Republic, Zeynep Alemdar,Harun Arıkan, Editor, Macmillan/Palgrave Press, London , London, pp.185-208, 2023
Turkey-EU relations has undergone a process of
transformation since the turn of the century with important domestic policy
implications. The progress and then regression in Turkey-EU relations impacted
the process of democratization and
identity-based transformation in Turkish politics and society. Following the
declaration of Turkey’s candidacy to the EU at the Helsinki European Council in
1999, Turkey-EU relations took the form
of an accession process which required the candidate country to fulfill the
membership criteria and adopt the acquis of the Union. Hence, it was a quite
specific relationship which could not be considered only as a foreign policy
issue but rather a wholesale transformation involving transition toward a
liberal model. During the 20 years in question, Turkey’s relations with the EU
continued in several interrelated formats including candidacy, association
including the Customs Union, cooperation in the area of migration and more
recently a positive agenda based on an understanding of common interests.