Turkey-EU relations after the European Summit Meeting: a historical decision and a first step to afinal destination

Summary:

The EU Commission and the EU's leaders are now persuaded that Turkey has made sufficient progress on fulfilling the so-called 'Copenhagen Political criteria' regarding democracy, human rights and legal reforms. The European Parliament adopted the resolution for the opening of negotiations with Turkey on December 15, 2004.

It has been a long road for Turkey, which first applied for full membership in 1959 and then signed an association agreement with the former EEC in 1963 with the object of becoming a member of the club in the foreseeable future. In 1989 the application for full membership was formally turned down. As outlined in the association agreement, Turkey entered the Customs Union in 1996 but without becoming a full member of the EU. Subsequently, Turkey was declared a candidate for entry at the EU summit meeting in Helsinki in 1999. It was agreed that 'Turkey was a candidate state destined to join the Union on the basis of the same criteria as applied to the other candidate states' and concluded that 'if Turkey fulfils the Copenhagen political criteria, the European Union will open accession negotiations with Turkey without delay'.