EU MEMBER STATES ATTITUDE TOWARDS ENLARGEMENT: THE CASE OF TURKEY

Abstract

In 1987 Turkey applied for membership in European Union, since that the meeting requirements has been a key political issue in foreign policy of the state. In 1999 Turkey became official candidate country to the EU membership, however its progress towards achieving member status is limited. This paper relies on theoretical framework of neorealism in assessing Turkey’s long accession process. Author analyses formal obstacles to the Turkish membership in the EU, and evaluates other possible causes of Turkey’s “long way to Europe”. The paper pays special attention to the analysis of issues behind reasoning of those member states, which actively oppose Turkish membership in the EU.