Title: The EU‐Turkey customs union: Economic integration amidst political turmoil
Abstract: The approval of the EU‐Turkey Customs Union by the European Parliament (EP) has brought Turkey to the last stage of economic integration with the EU short of membership. The customs union is also of far‐reaching political importance. However, European concerns about democratization, human rights violations and the Kurdish problem persist, as do anti‐western sentiments in parts of Turkish society. Paradoxically, the strengthening of political ties between the EU and Turkey could lead to mutual estrangement in the future, given that the Turkish view of the customs union as a final step before membership of the EU is not shared by the Union. Forthcoming EU enlargements, especially the accession of Cyprus, threaten to disturb the new EU‐Turkish relationship. Although the battle over EP acceptance of the customs union is over, the real test for EU‐Turkey relations will come over the next few years.
Publication Year: 1996
Publication Date: 1996-06-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 21
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