The EU Challenge: A View from the Turkish Grand National Assembly

Abstract

This is a study of the Turkish parliament in the crucial decade 1992–2002, which sheds light on important issues, dilemmas and obstacles facing Turkey in its path to the European Union (EU).1 During this decade, Turkish parliamentarians raised and answered questions on the importance of the EU and on its policies towards Turkey and other countries, as well as whether Turkey should join the EU and under what circumstances. In its attempt to map and evaluate EU debates in the Turkish parliament, the chapter is divided into four sections. The first provides a justification for studying national parliaments and the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) in particular. The second explains why Turkish parliamentarians remained committed to Turkey’s EU accession despite their serious concerns and grievances over European policies. Starting from the early 1990s and the wars in Bosnia and the Caucasus, we examine a number of issues Turkish parliamentarians debated publicly, including crises involving the PKK, Greece and the country’s EU candidacy status. The third section provides a case-study from August 2002, when Turkish parliamentarians, acting in accordance with EU prescriptions, legislated in favour of minority broadcasting in the country. Finally, section four concludes the study by providing relevant policy prescriptions and future research directions.