Publication

This paper looks at the major stumbling blocks Turkey still faces in its attempts to join the EU. The impediments include 1) a flawed democracy, which is being further undermined by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's autocratic behavior; 2) the Cyprus problem, which includes Turkey’s failure to implement the 2005 Additional Protocol to the Ankara Agreement and extend its Customs Union with the EU; 3) the Kurdish issue; and 4) the country’s recently flagging economy. Ultimately, the author opines that the best way to keep Turkey “on board,” improve its democratic practices, and reinvigorate its EU negotiating position would be to try and open the currently blocked accession chapters on judicial and fundamental rights and on justice, security and freedom.