Turkey and the European Union: The Domestic Politics of Negotiating Pre-Accession

Abstract

Turkey is facing massive challenges as a function of its aspiration to join the EU. In November 2000, the EU adopted the Accession Partnership Document, which listed the reforms that Turkey was expected to adopt to be able to meet the Copenhagen political criteria. In the midst of these challenges, slowly but surely the EU and Turkey are moving closer together. How can one explain the political process that has brought Turkey, after four decades of membership aspirations, to the very gates of EU membership? This essay will argue that the process was primarily driven by a long and bitter process of "negotiation" between advocates and opponents of membership within Turkey, on the one hand, and between a range of Turkish "negotiators or players" and their EU counterparts, on the other.

Keywords

Turkey, EU, Domestic Actors, Copenhagen Criteria, Pre-Accession

Citation

Kirişçi, Kemal, “Turkey and the European Union: The Domestic Politics of Negotiating Pre-Accession”, International Relations, Volume 2, Issue 8 (Winter 2005-2006), pp. 79-118.

Affiliations

• Kemal Kirişçi, Jean Monnet Professor, Boğaziçi University, Department of Political Science and International Relations