In contemporary history, a much-debated issue has been whether European nations have a common identity and what relevance the European Union has for a shared definition of Europeanness. The present book examines the link between historical conceptions of Europe and the contestations over Turkey's compatibility with the European Union during the 2000s.

The publication of this book marks the fiftieth year of Turkey’s application to the European Economic Community for associate membership, and evaluates EU-Turkey relations in a historical perspective. Examining the evolving approaches of Turkey and of the EU towards each other, the volume focuses on the ‘delay’ in Turkey’s accession to the EU, and explores the characteristics and reasons of this delay in political, economic, security, ethical and sociological dimensions. By shedding light on the main actors and changing parameters in these relations, the book reveals achievements as well as failures of Turkey and the EU in their mutual relations. Fifty Years of EU-Turkey Relations will be an essential reading and a lasting reference volume for policy-makers and academics interested in EU-Turkey relations, European politics, European Union enlargement or international relations.

This book by two leading experts provides a comprehensive analysis of Turkey's relationship with the European Union, set in its regional and international context. It provides three analytical lenses through which the relationship might be understood – Turkey as an enlargement country, as an EU neighbour and as a global partner – and unpacks the implications of each. Turkey and the European Union focuses on the five pillars that help define the relationship: economics, migration, security, democracy and human rights, and culture and identity. It shows how the differing perspectives on Turkey's role can influence events and developments in these areas, and it traces the profound fluctuations in relations, from the Association Agreement of 1963, to the candidacy for full membership of 1999, to the limbo of today. Turkey continues to be a critically important country for the European Union. The relationship has consequences that are both ideational, embedded in history, politics, identity and culture, and material, relating to economics, energy and security. In examining this complex relationship, this book addresses a key issue for Europe's future, and does so in a fashion that is both sophisticated and accessible.

A rapidly-changing nation and a key player in the Middle East, Turkey has long been centrally important to both the United States and the European Union. A major partner both of the EU and Turkey, the US has also been the most ardent and committed supporter of closer ties between them. Yet while Turkey's relations with the US and the EU have been intimately linked, they have not proceeded along two parallel planes. Nathalie Tocci tells the story of this dynamic triangular relationship, exploring how and why the US has shaped the course of relations among its allies. An empirical study with strong policy relevance, this volume draws on in-depth interviews and official documents to provide a succinct overview of the issues and stakeholders. Tocci argues that the Turkish situation can be viewed as a quintessential case study, tackling broader questions about US foreign policy in the region as a whole. Nathalie Tocc i is Deputy Director of the Istituto Affari Internazionali in Rome, Italy and author or editor of many books, including The EU and Conflict Resolution: Promoting Peace in the Backyard.

"This paper takes an in-depth look at European citizens' attitudes towards Turkey's accession to the EU and explains which elements are key in determining support for or opposition to Turkish membership. We use new data, derived from the new questions measuring citizens' attitudes towards Turkey that have recently been introduced in Eurobarometer questionnaires."--CEPS website.

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, this volume addresses the lessons of EU history, its current challenges and its future perspectives. Leading scholars from the disciplines of history, political science, political economy and law consider important aspects of European integration. Areas examined include the evolution of the law of integration, Europe's influence on political transitions, economic governance, social governance, the system of Treaty reform and its limits, the future role of the Court of Justice, enlargement and the vexed question of Turkish accession. This book, which takes an interdisciplinary approach, seeks to draw on the lessons of history, while shedding new light on the current and future challenges facing the European Union.

Although Turkey has a long-held aspiration for European Union membership and has been a candidate for more than a decade, relations between the EU and Turkey have not received the attention it deserves from non-Turkish researchers thus far, and consequently the international literature on EU-Turkey relations is rather limited. In light of recent global economic and political challenges for the EU and Turkey, a need has emerged for an interdisciplinary approach to study EU-Turkey relations within the wider international political and economic context. Turkey's Accession to the European Union: Political and Economic Challenges, edited by Belgin Ak ay and Bahri Yilmaz, provides a timely overview of some of the most important issues and debates in the changing context of Europe, the change in domestic politics and foreign policy in Turkey, and the likely implications of these changes and developments for EU-Turkey relations. Within this framework, this collection includes articles emphasizing Turkey's reform process with a view to EU accession, despite EU's reservations about "absorbing" Turkey and the eventual decoupling of the Turkish reform process from European integration, as well as searching for alternative forms of cooperation or transitional arrangements which may be possible for Turkey at the time of accession.

In Parliamentary Diplomacy in European and Global Governance, 27 experts from all over the world analyse the fast-expanding phenomenon of parliamentary diplomacy. Through a wealth of empirical case studies, the book demonstrates that parliamentarians and parliamentary assemblies have an increasingly important international role. The volume begins with parliamentary diplomacy in Europe, because the European Parliament is one of the strongest autonomous institutional actors in world politics. The study then examines parliamentary diplomacy in relations between Europe and third countries or regions (Mexico, Turkey, Russia, the Mediterranean), before turning attention to the rest of the world: North and South America, Asia, Africa and Australia. This pioneering volume confirms the worldwide nature and salience of parliamentary diplomacy in contemporary global politics.

Debating Turkish Modernity describes the opening act of Turkey's half century bid to join the European Community. Between 1959 and 1980, Turks from all walks of life weighed in on their prospective integration into Europe. This book details how these Turks made sense of the project of European Unification and how they spoke about it. It argues that Turkey's EEC debates, by resurrecting past questions over Turkey's relationship to Europe, became the principle forum where Turks of the Second Republic defined who they were, where they came from, and where they were going.

This book provides an accessible and comprehensive evaluation of labor migration in general and Turkish labor migration to the European Union in particular. Gonul O uz introduces the link between the European integration process and Turkish labor migration and focuses on critical issues and policies relating to economic, demographic, political, and social implications of the EU's eastern enlargement. Advance praise for "EU Enlargement and Turkish Labour Migration " "It is surprising, given the longevity of migrant flows from Turkey into Western Europe, that there has so far been no similar text, and the author is to be congratulated on taking on the job. The arguments presented are well-supported by empirical data and by an extensive bibliography. It is clearly written and will be a welcome addition to the bookshelves of academics, policymakers, and other interested parties."--John Salt, emeritus professor of geography and director of the Migration Research Unit, University College London "Gonul O uz critically examines the issues of Turkey-related migration in the context of European enlargement, and provides stimulating answers to many questions fundamental to an understanding of the burning issues."--Ahmet cduygu, professor of international relations and director of the Migration Research Program, Koc University "This provocative book argues that Turkish accession to the EU is more likely to be associated with a test-the-waters migration hump rather than an ongoing wave of Turkish migrants to EU member states."--Philip Martin, professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California-Davis, and chair of the University of California Comparative Immigration and Integration Program"