The Expansion of The European Union: Is Turkey Likely To Ever Be Granted Full Membership?
Turkey is one of the most eager candidates for entrance into the European Union.
In fact, Turkey has the longest pending application and the oldest association agreement with the EU. However, entrance into the Union does not appear on Turkey's horizon. Many leading political figures in EU member countries express the opinion that is very unlikely that Turkey will ever be granted full membership, and many of the decisions made at recent EU summits were explicitly discriminatory toward Turkey.
My research involves determining whether Turkey's goals of joining the EU are unreachable. There are a variety of official and unofficial reasons why Turkey's application continues to rest on the wayside. My research explores these varying issues. I do not discuss whether entrance into the EU will be good for Turkey, my assumption is that it would be to Turkey's advantage to join. I will conclude with the determination that were Turkey to abide by the many requirements imposed by the EU, membership would still not be graciously available.
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Last updated on 7 May 2001.