Regaining Momentum: Turkey During the Spanish EU Presidency
30 June 2010
Recent events have led many to proclaim that Turkey has turned its back on Europe and is heading eastwards. In other words, Turkey’s long quest to become a member of the European Union is no longer a priority, if a political objective at all. This couldn’t be further from the case. Viewed from Istanbul, Turkey remains committed to EU accession. No doubt Turkey’s membership process is not progressing as swiftly as many had hoped. Turkey is in part responsible for this but the EU’s lack of credibility in the country is equally important.
This paper was written by TESEV and CIDOB during the Spanish term presidency of the EU in the first half of 2010. Spain has been an ardent supporter of Turkish accession for many years and there are therefore high hopes from Spain’s term presidency in Turkey.
This paper therefore, explores the Turkey-EU relations in 2010, the benefits Turkey can bring to the Union and what Spain and future presidencies can do to invigorate Turkey’s membership process.
| Type: | Publications Reports |
| Topics: | European Union |