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CIAO DATE: 06/06
Fall 2005 (Volume 4, Number 3)
THE EUROPEAN UNION AND TURKEY: BEGINNING THE COMMON JOURNEY Olli Rehn
By starting accession negotiations with Turkey, the EU has become a stakeholder in the continuation of the political, economic and social transformation of this country. The negotiation process will inevitably contribute to blurring the lines between domestic and European matters in Turkey. This will be a sign that Turkey's political developments are gradually forming part of the European scene. It is further proof that the destinies of the EU and Turkey are converging. Be confident that, if Turkey works well, in harmony and with the participation and support of all its citizens, then the EU will be glad to have you as a member which strengthens our common house.
TURKISH-EU NEGOTIATIONS: PROSPECTIVE EFFECTS ON PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Murat Sungar
Implementing the acquis communautaire in practice will play an important role in the Turkey-EU accession talks. To accomplish this, an efficient public administration is needed. This article discusses the importance of a strong and efficient public administration and elaborates on the ongoing reforms in Turkey towards improving administrative capacity. Further on, the article discusses a related challenge, which is the need for Turkey to develop strategic and regional planning and development in line with EU principles. The author deems this issue one of the most challenging that Turkey will face during accession negotiations.
TURKISH CYPRIOTS' EXPECTATIONS FROM THE EUROPEAN UNION Mehmet Ali Talat
It has been more than a year that the Turkish Cypriots, responding to the calls of the international community and embracing the values of the EU integration process, convincingly voted in favor of the Annan Plan. The Union should accept that Cyprus, for the time being, is an unusual case of a federal bi-communal member state in which the central level of government had, by default, put itself into a situation of having zero jurisdiction in one entity and should not, therefore, let the Greek Cypriot Administration to be a stumbling block for the economic development of Turkish Cypriots.
THE FUTURE OF EUROPE: ISLAMOPHOBIA? Burak Erdenir
The future of Europe is closely linked to the successful integration of the Muslim immigrants into European societies. Europe should seek to reach cultural pluralism in contrast to assimilation or exclusion in order to avoid discrimination against Muslims. The author argues that both Muslim immigrants and host societies have mutual responsibilities in this respect. Both have to go through a mental change, eventually resulting in the redefinition of their identities. However, if Europe fails to integrate the Muslim immigrants, it will also fail to unite the Europeans under a common political identity. It will have to pay a price through social conflict, extreme nationalism and hatred amongst its fellow citizens.
CULTURAL AND POLITICAL DIALOGUE BETWEEN TURKEY AND THE EU: OVERCOMING DIFFICULTIES Yalim Eralp
The author addresses the potential problems of rejection of Turkey from the EU on cultural and religious grounds. He underlines the importance of dialogue between Turkey and the EU to overcome misunderstandings between the two sides. Furthermore, he calls for improved and effective political and cultural dialogue oriented to the future.
TURKEY'S REGIONAL POLICY ON THE ROAD TO THE EU Teresa Reeves
Turkey is characterized by a very high level of internal disparities and the entry of Turkey, given present economic conditions, would accentuate considerably the existing imbalances within the EU between the richer and poorer regions. Traditionally Turkey has had a highly centralized system of government dating from the Ottoman Empire and consolidated by the Republic of Turkey. This centralization is reflected in its administrative structures. In light of the philosophy of EU regional policy, the author outlines the requirements for candidate countries, pointing out where Turkey currently stands and clarifying the challenges that lie ahead.
STRATEGIES FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT: CHALLENGES FACING TURKEY ON THE ROAD TO EU MEMBERSHIP Ebru Ertugal
The grant of economic and technical aid by the EU for regional development during the pre-accession process and its link to novel forms of territorial governance for administering them for eventual EU membership is increasingly challenging Turkey's traditional state centered politics and regional policy. Based on the concept of Europeanization this paper examines the extent and direction of change in Turkey's regional policy to date under the influence of the EU. The paper suggests that there is a major ‘misfit' between the EU and Turkey's regional policy approaches and argues that certain domestic features of Turkey's domestic polity render Turkey's adaptation to the EU's multi-level governance model very problematic.
REGIONAL POLICY AND EU ACCESSION: LEARNING FROM THE GAP EXPERIENCE Özsel Beleli
Given its financial and institutional implications, Chapter 21 of the acquis communautaire on ‘Regional Policy and the Co-ordination of Structural Instruments' will likely be one of the most controversial and protracted sections of Turkey's accession negotiations with the European Union. Surprisingly, the topic has so far received limited attention in policy and academic circles. This article attempts to highlight the potential challenges regarding negotiations on regional policy in light of the experience of the Southeastern Anatolia Project. The importance of establishing effective institutional structures with adequate administrative capacity at local and regional levels is particularly emphasized.
CHALLENGES ON THE PATH OF TURKEY'S EU MEMBERSHIP Özlem Yesilkaya
The resounding rejection of the European Union's Constitution in France and the Netherlands, its consequences, and Europe's changing political landscape will have implications for Turkey's prospects of eventual EU membership and its start of negotiation talks in October. Turkey faces significant domestic challenges as several critical issues remain unresolved. Facing sizeable criticism of nationalist and Islamist fractions, the Turkish government may find little space to maneuver while pursuing further transformation.
ANNUAL UPDATE: TURKEY'S ROAD TO THE EU Demir Murat Seyrek
The European Council took an historical decision on 17 December 2004 to open accession talks with Turkey on 3 October 2005. This article is an evaluation of the major developments in Turkey-EU relations between these two significant dates. The author focuses on the debate about Turkey in the EU and the debate about the EU in Turkey separately to understand the general trends for both parties. The Referenda on the European Constitution in France and the Netherlands and federal elections in Germany are pointed out as main arenas where discussions about Turkey are heightened in Europe, while rising Euroskepticism is placed at the center of the EU discussion in Turkey.
RECENT LOCAL DEVELOPMENT MODELS IN TURKEY Metin Özaslan
This paper analyzes the changes in the spatial distribution of industry in Turkey following the 1980s, focusing on regional development policies. Using their local endogenous resources, certain provinces, also called ‘new industrial districts', made important leaps in the past couple of decades, while certain regions fell further behind. This paper aims to explain the success stories and extract lessons for progress in overcoming the vast regional disparities that remain.
LEAVING THE ROLLERCOASTER: TURKEY, STABILITY AND THE EUNicolas Winkler
Turkey looks back on a history of economic instability and recurrent crises. While the process of EU-Accession has the potential to fundamentally transform Turkey's economy, Turkey should not sit still and wait for the external effects of EU-Integration to take effect, but must tackle the sources of past instabilities. For this purpose, investor confidence is one of the critical resources Turkey needs to accumulate. Presenting the results of a survey among international bankers, this article shows up ways how this can be done.