The Unique Case of Turkey: The European Union’s Method in the Quest of Fundamental Rights

Abstract

Analysis of Turkey-EU relations shows a unique point of view that deepens the understanding of some internal and external dynamics of the EU integration process. The fundamental questions the author will try to answer in this article are: what is the state of relations between the EU and Turkey? What are the main achievements of this long lasting relationship? During the half century of relations, a particular pattern of behaviour emerges with regard to how the EU interacts with Turkey. After an overview of the fundamental milestones in the Turkey-EU relations, this article analyses the specific forms of progressive implementation used during the Turkish EU accession process. This perspective allows us to shed lights on the peculiarity of the Turkish case in respect to other accession processes. The hypothesis of this article is that, within the context of relations between Turkey and the EU, the implementation of a specific EU approach, developed within the internal integration process, is traceable.