Turkish Application for European Union

23 The process of joining the EU accession broadly consists of 3 stages:

1. Applying for the membership status and if it was approved by EU

Parliament it becomes an official candidate for membership. 2. The candidate moves on to formal membership negotiations, a process that involves the adoption of established EU law, preparations to be in a position to properly apply and enforce it and implementation of judicial, administrative, economic and other reforms necessary for the country to meet the conditions for joining, known as accession criteria. 3. When the negotiations and accompanying reforms have been completed to the satisfaction of both sides, the country can join the EU. 47 Those are the main requirements that must be met for a country that is interested in becoming a full member of the European Union.

B. The Turkish Approach for EU Membership before PM Erdogan Leadership

1. Turkish Application for European Union

The collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War 1 in 1918 led a very large impact on Turkey. The state that was originally classified as having reactionaries and conservatives politics had changed almost 360 degrees into a very secular state and nationalist country. The secular state of Turkey was based 47 European Commission, Steps Towards Joining, 2012, [online database], available from: http:ec.europa.euenlargementpolicysteps-towards-joiningindex_en.htm , accessed at 562014 24 on the new constitution of Turkey in 1924 chapter 1 which is; first: Republic; second: Nationalist; third: democracy; fourth: state; fifth: secularist; sixth: revolutionist. 48 The secular state led by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk come through a massive revolution especially in his transition to adopt democracy system and to fix his economic problem. Under this circumstance, Turkish foreign policy was prioritized to the Western aimed to gain economic and military aid and the guidance for the reference to be democratic and secular state from the West. The Turkish efforts to realize its dream to become a modern developed and democratic country was manifested in various ways, one of which was by applying for EU membership. What underlying Turkey to dare to take this step was the feeling of Turkey as the part of Europe because Turkey has some territorial part in that region. During the Cold War Turkey was part of the Western alliance, defending freedom, democracy and human rights. 49 After built the very close relation with the Western Europe in the political field, Turkey started to complete the relationship in the economic field. Thus, Turkey started with applying for associate membership in the European Economic Community EEC in 1st of September 1959. 50 Turkey‟s efforts were rewarded by signing the Association agreement Ankara Agreement in 1st September 1963, aiming at bringing Turkey into a customs union with the EEC and, ultimately, membership. To implement this association agreement, the EEC provided Turkey with loans worth 175 million ECU. The trade concessions which the EEC granted 48 Ahla Aulia, Diplomasi Turki Untuk Menjadi Anggota Uni Eropa 2007-2012, Bachelor Thesis: Fisip UIN Jakarta, 2013, p: 27 49 Republic of Turkey Ministry for EU Affairs, History of Turkey –EU Relations; 2011, [database online] available at http:www.abgs.gov.tr?p=111l=2 , accessed at 492014 50 Turkey-EU Chambers Forum,Information on Turkey-EU relation: The accession negotiation Process, 2011, http:www.etcf.org.trENGenelBelgeGoster.aspx?17A16AE30572D313AAF6AA849816B2EF3143C82B0599 388A , accessed at 392014 25 to Turkey rose from 29 in 1963 to 42 in 1972. 51 These assistances made Turkey more confident to realize its desire to become a modern Western state, finally On April 14 1987, Turkey formally applied for full membership of the European Community which is known now as the European Union. 52 This decision was taken under the leadership of President Kenan Evran 1982-1989 and initiated by Prime Minister Turgut Ozal. 53 After the application was received, the council sent the application to the Commission for its opinion. The Commission presented its opinion in 1989, which basically underlined Turkey‟s eligibility for membership but mentioned that great economic and social differences still exist between the two sides. The commission also concluded that the conjectural environment is not suitable for the enlargement of the Community. 54 What means by the great economic and social differences here are about Turkey‟s high rate of inflation, high growth rate of population, low level of national income and per capita income level which was only 10 of the EU average, share of agriculture within the economic activities, big share of agricultural employment within the total working force etc. In addition, the political and democratic problems in Turkey such as the minorities‟ problems and the Cyprus dispute were also being high consideration of EU Commission. 55 The commission decided not to give any positive and negative answer to Tu rkey‟s application at that moment and asked for deepening the economic relations with Turkey within the 51 Republic of Turkey-Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Turkey-EU Relation, available from: http:www.mfa.gov.trrelations-between-turkey-and-the-european-union.en.mfa , 492014 52 European Commission, Enlargement: Turkey, Last Updated: 6 November 2013. http:ec.europa.euenlargementcountriesdetailed-country-informationturkeyindex_en.htm 53 Ahla Aulia, Diplomasi Turki Untuk Menjadi Anggota Uni Eropa 2007-2012, p: 34 54 Republic of Turkey Ministry for EU Affairs, History of Turkey –EU Relations; 2011 55 Ilhan Ozturk dan Kamil Sertoglu, “Turkey and European Union Relations : Concept of the Custom Union”, Pakistan Horizon, Vol.56, No.3, 2003, p: 2-3. Downloaded from accessed from: http:mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de3331MPRA_paper_333.pdf , 252014 26 content of “Matudes Report” which aimed at achieving the customs union with Turkey by the end of 1995. On 1 January 1996 the Custom Union that was planned in Ankara Agreement entered into force. 56 This Custom Union Program brought many benefits for Turkish economy. Trade figures after the completion of the Customs Union revealed that Turkey‟s imports from the EU rose by 34.7 in 1996 compared to 1995 while the exports rose by only 3.6. The EU preserved as Turkey‟s biggest trading partner with a 52.9 share in Turkey‟s imports and 49.5 in exports. This profit continued in the next two years that in 1997 Turkeys exports to the EU rose from 12.2 billion dollars to 13.4 billion dollars in 1998 and imports from the EU increased from 24 billion dollars to 24.8 billion dollars in the same period. 57 Those achievements from Custom Union opened greater opportunity for Turkey to be accepted as EU member. Eventually, there was one more progress for Turkish accession that in 13th of December 1997, Luxembourg Council summit declared that Turkey was eligible to become the EU member. The Enlargement of the candidate status was officially recognized for Turkey in European Council Summit Meeting in Helsinki on 11 th of December 1999. 58

2. Another Effort of Turkey to Gain the Membership Status