|
|
|
|
Map of Europe Map of Middle East |
CIAO DATE: 07/04
Fall 2002 (Volume 1, Number 3)
The Copenhagen Summit: The Lithmus Test for Turkish Candidacy by Volkan Vural
Turkey has expressed its political will to become a member of the eu many times during this long and sometimes uncertain path. The Turkish parliament recently adopted a landmark legislation and demonstrated its political will and resolve to fulfill the copenhagen criteria and therefore become a member of the european union. This comprehensive reform package is of historic significance in its scope and content and has opened up new horizons for the Turkish republic. The package includes almost all the controversial issues that have been fiercely debated by the Turkish public since the beginning of the adoption of the national programme. This package contains the most sweeping and comprehensive reforms ever achieved by our country since Turkey entered into a multi-party democratic system in 1946. In a period of political uncertainty and an early general election environment, the adoption of these reforms demonstrates clearly the firm commitment of our nation to democracy, human rights, the rule of law and protection of minorities as universal values. The response of the parliament enjoys the support of the vast majority for the Turkish nation as almost every public opinion poll conducted since the Helsinki Summit indicates that around 70 percent of the Turkish nation has always expressed their preference for integration with the European Union. The Copenhagen summit will therefore be a lithmus test for the Turkish candidacy, yet it will also test the courage, wisdom and farsightedness of the whole continent shaping the politics of the 21st century. The EU and Turkey have a historic responsibility to build such a future.
Public Opinion And EU Accession by Péter Balázs
Information and public support gain special importance in the context of the integration process of East-Central European countries. These considerations led the governments of the candidate countries to such a conclusion that in addition to the "real processes" of the accession (fulfilment of the membership criteria, legal harmonisation, accession negotiations, etc,) there must also be a "communication process" i.e. a set of actions directed at the information and preparation of internal public for the integration. Public support for accession to the European Union is of no less significance for Hungary. The Hungarian government adopted a national communication strategy in 1995 and the implementation started from 1996, coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The basic idea of the Strategy is that for Hungary, the most appropriate and most efficient way of development can be provided by EU membership. Therefore, the goal of communication has been to convince the public to accept the EU accession as a guarantee of security and socio-economic modernisation for the country and to get prepared for the utilisation of chances emanating from the accession on the one hand, and for the possible challenges, on the other. The efficiency of the first five years of the Strategy can be assessed by the increase in the awareness of the general public. According to findings of public opinion surveys done since 1996 by Hungarian and international research centres on a sample of a few thousand people each, trends seem basically positive. The level of general knowledge about the integration considerably increased in 2001 as compared to earlier poll results.
Turkey's Potential Contribution to The EU by Meral Gezgin Eris
This article seeks to examine Turkey's potential contribution to the EU in three broad areas: political/ security, economic, and social. Within the scope of political gains, it is argued that Turkey's membership will enhance EU's influence in the Middle East, Balkans and Caucasus as well as contributing to the diversification of its energy supplies and the strengthening of its justice and home-affairs policy. Economic gains are evaluated mainly with respect to market expansion, access to neighbouring markets, and liberalisation of services and public procurement. Contributions in the fields of politics and economics are complemented by social gains which are expected to minimise the negative impacts of declining and ageing populations in Europe as well as revitalising EU's labour market with her young labour force.
Seeking Monetary Fixes For Real Troubles: Should Turkey Adopt The Euro? by Murat Ucer
The trilogy of high fiscal deficits, a weak currency and an open capital account lied at the heart of Turkey's boom-bust cycles in the past decade. Now that the acute phase of the last crisis is over, and most of the dirty work related to one-off balance sheet adjustments associated with the sharp jump in the exchange rate has largely been worked out, one may be tempted to (re-) think through Turkey's monetary options. it appears that Turkey has essentially two paths to follow going forward. One is to maintain the current regime of floating exchange rates, and soon to complement it by a rapid switch to IT. The other is to take a short cut and "import stability" by adopting the currency of an anchor block as soon as possible. As to the latter, "Euro" pops us as a natural candidate, given the strong trade links between Europe and Turkey, combined with Turkey's broader ambitions to eventually join the European Union. The author feels that adopting the Euro would be a smart way out for Turkey on economic grounds, provided that European Union also acts reasonably cooperative. But aside from economics, one major issue remains to be resolved. The idea of giving up one's own currency is not a very appealing one, and surfaces almost everywhere as a major issue of "national sovereignty", including in more advanced countries. Turkey is no exception, and the proposed adoption of an anchor currency is likely to be contested on nationalistic grounds even if a broad agreement is reached on its economic benefits.
The European Parliament And The Accession of Turkey To The EU by Murat Ucer
With the signing of the accession partnership at the Nice Summit on 7 December 2000 the approximation process between Turkey and the EU reached a new phase. Turkey and its status is an important issue for many members of the European Parliament (EP). It should be kept in mind that the EP is an important forum in the debate of Turkey's membership to the EU. Yet there are diverging views among the members of the EP on Turkey's membership. The conservatives are rather sceptical of the prospect of Turkish accession. The Convention is a great opportunity for Turkey for contributing to the discussions in a constructive manner and to enrich the discourse.
The Human Rights Factor In Turkey-EU Relations by Fusun Turkmen
On the eve of the EU Copenhagen Summit, human rights seem to be playing the key role in determining Turkey's relationship with the European Union. One can argue that this issue only confirms a historical trend. Over the past 200 years of modernization, Europe has been the prime catalyst in Turkey's quest for democratization and human rights. However, although Turkey has moved closer to Europe in the last two decades, its record on human rights continued to pose a problem, mainly due to Ankara's realpolitik approach, marked by concessions on paper with a view to serve State interests rather than freedoms granted for their own sake. Nevertheless, even though these steps have been mainly oriented towards accomodation with Western values, they have gradually created a political environment wherein civil society can inject some momentum to the state policies, irrespective of external factors. The implementation of rights, however, has always lagged behind legislation, and the Turkish Government is faced again with the task of gaining credibility over its recent comprehensive reform package by implementing it integrally and rapidly. This essay attempts to sketch the itinerary of Turkey-EU relations as regards the human rights factor.
The Future of Europe by Sanem Baykal
European Integration, which is, so far, a success story both in its achievements and its uniqueness as a political entity, stands at a historical turning point on the verge of the 21st century. The prospects of enlargement and further integration provide challenges as well as opportunities for the European Union. How those challenges are met and opportunities are taken advantage of will determine the future prospects of the European Integration, which is currently under discussion within the framework of a Convention on the Future of European Union.
Is Turkey Ready For Accession Negotiations? by Selim Yenel
It is safe to say that within the last two years, Turkey has taken significant steps towards alignment with the acquis. In addition to economic reforms, new legislation has been adopted in almost all areas. If and when a date is given for accession negotiations, they will be built upon the three rounds of sub-committee meetings. When we look into the previous enlargements and at the current accession negotiations, which have already taken four years, it is reasonable to say that a long process is ahead of us. Yet, this is not as daunting a task as it might have been had Turkey not achieved what it has so far. Consequently, Turkey is confident that it is ready to proceed with the accession negotiations.
Turkey's Democratization And The EU by Zafer Uskul
TheThe 26 November 1983 elections which ended the military administration did not ensure the swift return to democracy. Those who gained the right to rule the country after 26 November and the following general elections didn't engage in the path of democratization. To them, ruling the country within the legal order of the 12th September ConstitutiThe 26 November 1983 elections which ended the military administration did not ensure the swift return to democracy. Those who gained the right to rule the country after 26 November and the following general elections didn't engage in the path of democratization. To them, ruling the country within the legal order of the 12th September Constitution was much easier.
In spite of this situation, the opposition initiated by intellectuals and lawmakers gradually increased the demand for democracy. Civil society intensified its efforts to assemble. During this period the European Union, and European institutions in general( either formal or civilian) no doubt gave their support to the forces struggling for democracy in Turkey. However, it cannot be argued that such support was sufficient. The number of projects implemented using EU funds is very few. On the other hand, the tendency of EU and Member States officials to criticise human rights violations in Turkey on an ethnic basis was an inadequate approach to the democratization and human rights improvements issue. Human rights violations in Turkey do not solely concern the members of a specific ethnic group. And, among the NGOs, it is not only some "known" ones who are fighting to improve human rights in Turkey. This single-dimensioned approach occasionally has led the Turkish public opinion to react. No matter how far behind civil society they stayed, political elites did not remain insensitive to civil requests for democratization and human rights improvement. From 1987 onwards, the 1982 Constitution was gradually amended towards more democratization.
As a result of all these constitutional amendments, the weight of the State in the State-Individual relations has decreased, the individual has gained significance, the scope of politics has broadened, steps have been taken to meet the requirements of a lawful State and the process of amending the Constitution has been facilitated. Despite all these changes, it still cannot be argued that the 1982 Constitution meets international standards or the principles laid down in the European Human Rights Convention. Further amendments must be adopted.
As well as internal dynamics, Turkey's candidacy to the European Union also constituted a major driving force behind the adoption of the 2001 constitutional amendments. As the publication date of the European Union's progress reports approaches, the Turkish Parliament is intensifying its amending efforts.
Economic Integration Between EU And Turkey by Bahri Yilmaz
In October 1999 the European Commission recommended that Turkey should be considered a candidate country for EU membership, but without opening negotiations at that stage. The announcement of Turkey's candidacy resonated differently on the two sides of the Atlantic. The leading American newspapers and the American government supported Turkey's aim strongly, as an assurance that the strategically located Turkey would be fully integrated into the democratic west. Contrarily, the declaration of Turkey's candidacy to EU has divided Europeans substantially and some have reacted to the declaration of the candidacy with mixed feelings. This article provides an overview of Turkey's relations with the EU since 1959 and discusses the costs and benefits of the Customs Union with the EU. Turkey is the first country in the European integration which has joined the Customs Union without being a full member of the EU. Turkey's chances of becoming a full member of the EU are evaluated.
Academia:
The New Security Role Of The EU by Cinar Ozen
The end of cold war influenced the security environment of Europe. Today the concept of security is defined wider than before and as such an important debate is now under way in international security theories. Integrationist approach to security versus neorealism is constituting the core of this debate. With a wider definition of security European Union's role has also an increasing importance. Yet, the EU is actually at the point of crucial choice between an 'integrationist approach to security' and 'traditional realist/neorealist thought'. The result of this choice will determine the future of European security. In order to maintain its growing role in the European security system, the EU should refrain from block politics and from creating new confrontations in Europe.
Public Opinion
Turkish Public Opinion Survey byStrateji Mori