Turkish Accession to the EU: Satisfying the Copenhagen Criteria (Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern Economies)

Is Turkey on the way to meet the economic Copenhagen criteria? The enlargement process that the European Union faced in the last decade stirred the debate again about the role Turkey has to play and whether or not Turkey should be part of the European Union. While the enlargement with the Central and East European countries of the former Soviet Union was a logical process, given the strong trade relationships and the political and historical context of these countries, the potential enlargement with Turkey is much more complex and controversial. The main innovation of the present study is that it unravels the complexity of the Turkish case by approaching the problem from different angles in a comprehensive way. In particular, by tuning in on the historic, political and economic processes, new insights are obtained about the feasibility of Turkish accession to the EU. By combining lessons from the existing literature, the use of new data and the analysis of the political economic processes, a new perspective on the enlargement question - with the key Copenhagen criteria used as a corner stone - is offered. From an enlightened and liberal European perspective, and using empirical data throughout, Turkish Accession to the EU fills an important gap in the recent literature on EU-Turkey relations. Its well organized and accessible analytical format makes it a valuable contribution to students in political, social, economic, management and European studies as well as providing a framework for journalists, civil servants, managers, politicians and the general public unfamiliar with the topic. Sumru Altug & Alpay Filiztekin (2006) The Turkish Economy: The Real Economy, Corporate Governance and reform Stabilization Policy Hb £65 193 copies as 36 UK, 83 US and 74 ROWJozef Konings is the author of 'Turkish Accession to the EU: Satisfying the Copenhagen Criteria (Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern Economies)', published 2008 under ISBN 9780415457132 and ISBN 0415457130.