The European Commission’s 2010 « Progress Report » and Real Progress in Turkey-EU Relations

German Marshall Fund of the United States, November 16, 2010

by Emiliano Alessandri

Estrangement in Turkey-EU relations has, unfortunately, become a fact. Although overdramatized by the media, the question of whether Turkey will eventually decide to go it alone in world affairs is real. The recent European Commission progress report, however, makes only scattered references to either issue. Although the EC is right in its overall judgment, the political dimension of what has transpired in Turkey this year is largely missing from its report.

Turkey’s EU aspirations will remain unfulfilled until there is at least some broad alignment between what is done in the accession process and what is discussed in international capitals. Two issues may help to provide a better grasp of the problem: the recent reform of the Turkish Constitution and the evolution of Turkish foreign policy.

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