Turkey’s Accession to the European Union

The Politics of Exclusion?

By Edel Hughes

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About the Book

Turkey’s accession to the European Union is undoubtedly one of the Union’s most contested potential enlargements. The narrative that dominates the debate surrounding this issue primarily relates to problems such as a lack of respect for fundamental human rights in Turkey, the Kurdish question and the continuing stalemate concerning northern Cyprus.

This book looks at these issues, but also proposes that a review of Turkey’s experience with the EU in its numerous incarnations suggests that these concerns may mask a deeper disquiet. Whilst there are several questions that Turkey must address, particularly in the area of human rights guarantees, the concerns which raise debates regarding Turkish membership are not issues that are unique to Turkey. Turkey’s EU experience also raises fundamental questions about religion and the EU project that have greater implication than simply Turkish accession. Through the lens of the Turkish example, this book addresses these broader questions, such as the nature of European ‘identity’, Europe’s Christian past, the limits of pluralism and the fundamental question of religion in the European public sphere.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction Part 1: Weighing History: Turkey’s Path To Accession 2. The Establishment Of Modern Turkey: Early Secular Beginnings 3. EU-Turkey Formalised Agreements 4. The Kurdish Question In Turkey Part 2: A Rights-Based Approach? 5. Human Rights Reforms And Assessment Of The Commission 6. Freedom Of Expression: Still The Issue? 7. Minorities And Turkey Part 3: Cyprus V Turkey 8. The Cyprus Question And Turkey 9. International Attempts At A Resolution To The Cyprus Problem Part 4: Lifting The Veil 10. Religion In The Public Sphere: The European Context 11. Religion In The Public Sphere 12. Conclusions: Turkey’s Path To Membership And The Broader Question Of Islam In Europe

About the Author(s)

Edel Hughes is a Junior Lecturer in Law at the University of Limerick, Ireland.