A comparative analysis of the EU's enlargement policy towards Turkey with special emphasis on the Cyprus problem

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Tezin Türü: Doktora

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Marmara Üniversitesi, Avrupa Araştırmaları Enstitüsü, Avrupa Birliği Siyaseti ve Uluslararası İlişkiler Anabilim Dalı (İngilizce), Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2008

Tezin Dili: İngilizce

Öğrenci: ERHAN ERÇİN

Danışman: Armağan Emre Çakır

Özet:

The objective of this dissertation is to make a comparative analysis of the EU?s enlargement policy towards Turkey and accordingly, to seek an answer to the main research question that is ?has the EU provided similar incentives for Turkey to conclude negotiations successfully as it has done for former candidate countries?? With this respect, the past, present and future of Turkey ? EU relations are analysed on the basis of the framework drawn by taken into consideration the key stages and critical decisions of the previous enlargement rounds, particularly the fifth enlargement of the EU.Accumulation of all these analysis eventually establishes the ground to argue that though the EU has not provided exactly the same incentives for Turkey as it did for former candidate countries, the intention behind this was not to treat Turkey as different from the European mainstream nor to discriminate against her on the basis of normative criteria shaped by cultural and religious characteristics. Rather, the EU, mainly the European Commission as the initial drafter of the NFD that governs contemporary Turkey ? EU relations, tried to ensure that the next round of enlargement would neither threaten the interests of member states, nor risk the functionality of the Union by setting tougher principles and procedures for the negotiations. Defining enlargement as an ?open-ended process? and drawing particular attention to the ?absorption capacity of the EU? that has until now been considered as the silent aspect of qualitative membership criteria introduced in the Copenhagen European Council of December 1993 represent a few striking illustrations of this approach in view of Turkey.Impact of Cyprus problem on the Turkey ? EU relations has also been elaborated in detail throughout this dissertation and a critical approach has been brought to the Greek Cypriot Administration in regard to the attempts to create impediments in the negotiations by using the rights granted with their unilateral membership.