Relations Between Turkey and the EU

8/6/2019 Relations Between Turkey and the EU

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KTSAD KALKINMA VAKFIECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION

Relations Between Turkey and theEuropean Union

Turkey EU association relations date back to the signing ofthe Ankara Agreement in 1963.

The main aim of these relations has always been Turkeyseventual full membership to the EU.

One of the most important turning points of Turkey EUrelations is the completion of the Customs Union as of January1, 1996.

Customs Union, not only helped Turkey to harmonize with theEU norms in the areas covered by this relationship, but also

brought a new impetus to these relations with an even strongerperspective for membership.


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Customs Union: What trade figuresshow

Turkeys imports from the

EU15

199516.8 million $

199623.1 million $

200026.6 million $ 200545.3 million $

Turkeys exports to the

EU15

199511.1 million $

199611.5 million $

200014,5 million $ 200535.8 million $


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Customs Union: What trade figures donot show

Customs Union contributed to the modernization of productionpatterns and increased consumer awareness.

Customs Union formed the framework for the works toincrease competitiveness both internally and internationally.

Turkish industry entered into a strong competition with EUfirms not only at European level but in domestic markets.

The legal and regulatory changes made to harmonize with theEU technical legislation and standards helped Turkish productsto reach international markets more easily.


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Customs Union: What trade figures donot show

The Customs Union is established with the aim

of Turkeys EU membership The whole body of the modalities of the CU

system has been drawn with this aim.

For this reason, the CU between Turkey andthe EU contains a deep and comprising

understanding of integration.


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Helsinki Summit: Another turningpoint

The Helsinki Summit meeting of the

December 1999 forms another importantturning point in Turkey EU relations.

In Helsinki, the EU leaders confirmed

Turkeys candidacy status and includedTurkey to the enlargement strategy drawn in

Copenhagen in 1993 (the Copenhagen criteria)


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2004: Launching of the AccessionNegotiations

On 6 October 2004, in its regular progress report for

Turkey, the Commission said it ... considers thatTurkey sufficiently fulfils the political criteria and

recommends accession negotiations be opened.

The European Parliament approved this decision.

And on 17 December 2004, the leaders of the EU

member countries decided to start the accession

negotiations with Turkey as of 3 October 2005.


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Stages of Accession Process Negotiation Decision (17 December 2004)

Negotiation Framework (3 October 2005) Screening (20 October 2005) (October 2006October 2006)

Actual Negotiations

Temporary and final closure of negotiation chapters

Signing of the Accession Treaty Approval of the Treaty, and Accession


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2005: Two important developmentsStarting of the accession negotiations: The first stage of the accession process the screening- started

on 20 October 2005 on the acquis chapter Science andResearch.

The screening process is progressing smoothly and timely.

So far, in 14 of the 35 chapters the screening is completed.

The whole screening process will end by October this year. The actual negotiations on the first aquis chapter will start

soon, and the rest will follow in due course.


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2005: Two important developments Another important development since the opening of

accession negotiations has been the recognition ofTurkey as a functioning market economy by theEuropean Commission in its last Progress Report.

Thereby, Turkey fulfilled the first component of theCopenhagen economic criteria.

It is anticipated that, in the near future, Turkey willalso satisfy the second parameters of these criteria byproving its capacity to cope with competitive pressureand market forces within the EU.


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The future: How will the accessionnegotiations proceed? Negotiations are held in two levels: Technical

and political. Not much to negotiate in the technical

sphere. The EU acquis will have to be adopted.

The subject of the negotiations is the timetable

for adaptation, implementation andenforcement of the acquis and not thesubstance itself.


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The future: How will the accessionnegotiations proceed?

The political sphere is the Intergovernmental

Conference that meets twice a year during thenegotiations process.

It is the place where opening and closing of chapter

headings are decided with unanimity.

In the IGC meetings, positions and strategies arediscussed among the ministers of the member states

and the candidate country.


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Conclusion:What should Turkey do? The accession negotiations will be hard.

But at the end Turkey will have internationallyaccepted norms and standards in all the areas coveredby the EU acquis, and become an EU member.

The accession process should not be regarded as a setof technical adaptations. Each and everyharmonization work done in the process have atrigger effect on other areas, and at the end a totaltransformation will take place.


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Conclusion:What should Turkey do?At this stage Turkey should:

pay utmost attention to the implementation of the political

reforms, sustain the improvement in economy,

construct an effective administrative structure to manage thenegotiations (transparency and participation),

focus on a two-way communication strategy in order to help

EU nationals understand Turkey and Turkish nationalsunderstand the EU.

and take all the measures to manage this process in the bestway possible.

Documents

Relations Between Turkey and the EU