Abstract:

The European Commission has released its report onTurkey, which assesses the accession ofTurkeyto the European Union. The European Commission recommended starting accession negotiations withTurkeyprovided that certain key legislation, which is in preparation, enters into force. While convinced that the accession process will be essential in guiding further reforms inTurkey, the Commission also underlined that accession negotiations are by its nature an open-ended process. Therefore, the prospect of accession, while challenging for the European Union andTurkey, is expected to offer important opportunities for both if it is well managed. Furthermore, the report also stated that the necessary preparations for accession would last into the next decade, thereby, also requiring that the European Union would evolve over this period, andTurkeyshould change even more radically. The acquis communitaire, i.e. the whole body of EU policies and legislation, will develop further and respond to the needs of European Union with 27 members or more. Its development may also induce even more challenges and opportunities forTurkey. This study therefore assesses these challenges and opportunities from the standpoint of theUnion.

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