Integration der Türkei in die EU am Scheideweg?
Turkey’s EU Integration at a Crossroads?

Options for Deepening the Economic Relations in View of TTIP

Summary/Abstract: Turkey and the EU have recently announced their ambition to modernize and expand their 20-year-old Customs Union. In 1996 Turkey favoured the launch of the Customs Union and handed over its trade policy autonomy to the EU expecting that it would soon become a full member of the Union. However, the integration process has turned out to be long lasting and characterized by unexpected political obstacles. Additionally, in recent years the increasing number of negotiated free trade agreements between the EU and third parties has put Turkey in an unfavourable economic position both with respect to the EU and globally. The attempt to deepen the Customs Union independently from stagnating EU-Turkish accession talks is a necessary step to prevent a rupture in the well performing economic relationship arising from institutional weaknesses of the existing bilateral trade accord. A successful modernization of the Customs Union is also likely to serve for the development of a new strategic vision in the EU-Turkish dialogue that seeks to offset the negative implications of the stalemate in Turkish accession talks. This article briefly delineates the increasing tensions between Turkey and the EU resulting from institutional weaknesses of the Customs Union and presents new policy options that can mitigate related adverse political and economic effects.

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