Historical evolution of the Europeanization process of Turkey

Historical evolution of the Europeanization process of Turkey
21/10/2010
Author : Portuguese Institute of International Relations and Security (IPRIS)

By Sezer Özcan Portuguese Journal of International Affairs N° 3 Spring/Summer 2010

The concept of Europeanization has become a widespread political phenomenon since the beginning of the European integration process of Central and Eastern European states during the 1990s. Even though there is an increasing academic interest in the concept, most theoreticians argue that it has not been clearly defined yet, and that its meaning is ambiguous. This concept is mostly used as the European Union’s main tool for analyzing the impact on member states and candidate states. As the European Union (EU ) keeps enlarging its borders by integrating new member states and expanding its authority over national governments, arguments concerning the nature and future of the European Union are understandably becoming more profuse. Also, the widening and deepening of the EU bring about the question of adaptation to European laws, regulations, norms and values. This process of adaptation to European standards by both member states and candidate states is basically defined as ‘Europeanization’. Because the central argument of this article is that there is a strong link between Turkey’s Europeanization process and the country’s European vocation in accordance with European standards and procedures, it is fair to analyze the relationship betweenTurkey and the EC /EU in a historical perspective, paying close attention to the main events impacting Turkey’s goal of EU membership.

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