Europeanization of Identities and Turkey

EUR 514Belma YorulmazMay 7th, 2011

Content

• Turkish Foreign Policy• Turkey public opinion regarding EU accession• Public opinion of Europen countries’ regarding

Turkey’s EU accession

Turkey’s Membership Visited

• Cronology of Accession– Roma Agreement 1953, – Costoms union agreement in 1995 – Membership application in 1995 and approval of

accession process in 1999, Helsinki– 2005 accession negotiations start

• Economical, democratical (ethnic nationalism, military intervantions) obstacles

Factors of new direction in Foreign Policy

orientation

• The active role of Abdullah Gül and Ahmet Davutoğlu• Increase in nationalization of in EU policies as a result of the slowdown

and blockages in accession process in EU• Deep crisis in western countries, comparatively stronger BRIC countries• Turkey’s confidence in economic performance, being one of G20

countries, no agreement signed with IMF• Globalization requires multi-dimensional relationships, Turkey started

to develop that after Cold War• Trade and economic roots of foreign policy, active participation of civil

society as TOBB, MUSIAD in policy making of government• AKP’s culture and identity that is basically based of Islamic root• Increase in domestic popularity of AKP as a result of the new foreign

policy

CHP perspective

• EU as a target• Arguments regarding AKP ‘s domestic policy

orientation, Islamic roots and Middle East • Membership constraints are unfair/Greece • Free movement of labor could not be

materialized• Cypus case as a constraint to other articles

Eurobarometer 2010 / Is EU a good thing

Eurobarometer 2010 / Is EU beneficial?

EU perspective in Turkey’s accession to EU

• Euro Crisis & diminishing trust to Euro• Anti-ıslamists movements in EU/Merkel• Merkel concluded that they were

unsuccessfully in creating a multicultural environment within Germany

• Spain and Belgium presidency in 2010, different perspectives in accession process

German media Debate on Turkey’s Accession