europe's world
14/12/2010
Author : Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM - Turkey)
by Sinan Ulgen EDAM Policy Brief 2/2010 In previous EU accessions, the Union’s credible commitment to enlarge and the candidate’s commitment to reform reinforced each other. But in Turkey’s case, European prevarications over whether the country should become a full member have undermined the Turkish government’s determination to push through the changes needed for membership. The accession process is heading for a vicious circle of Turkish disillusionment and EU reluctance. While mixed messages from EU leaders have undermined support for accession in Turkey, there are also country-specific reasons why Turkey’s pro-EU consensus has unravelled quite so quickly: Turkey’s political system is deeply polarised, its accession process is too politicised, and the expectations of many Turks about what EU accession could deliver were simply too high. At the grassroots level, plenty of Turks still support joining the EU. A pro-EU, pro-reform consensus could quickly be rekindled if the government reached out to the opposition, and if the opposition gave up its eurosceptic rhetoric. The EU can help to restore momentum to the Turkish accession process by redoubling its efforts to resolve the Cyprus stalemate, which is one of the main obstacles to progress in the accession talks....more...
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