Internal factors in the EU’s transformative power over Turkey: the role of Turkish civil society

Abstract

The European Union’s (EU) transformative power over Turkey has been declining in recent years. In addition to external factors related with the EU, several internal factors have slowed the momentum of reforms in Turkey particularly in the fields of human rights, freedom of speech and media freedom. This article analyses the perceptions of Turkish civil society on the challenges of Turkish democratization and reform process particularly in the fields of human rights, freedom of speech and media freedom, and the role of Turkey’s accession process to the EU. The article draws on semi-structured in-depth interviews conducted with representatives of civil society organizations and business organizations in İstanbul. Qualitative analysis was used to evaluate the perceptions of Turkish civil society about the challenges in the reform process in Turkey particularly in the fields of human rights, freedom of speech and media freedom, and role of the accession process of Turkey to the EU, and how Turkish civil society uses Europe as a ‘wider normative context’ is analysed.