FATIGUED TURKEY AND THE ATTEMPTS TO RE-ENERGIZE THE 54 YEARS OLD EUROPEAN DREAM; IS THERE A HOPE?

Following the formation of the European Union (EU) over a half century ago, Turkish dream of EU membership started in 1959 as an Associate Member has never become a reality. Currently, the European Union (EU) membership dream of Turkey is going through a rough period similar to its prior stalemate episodes. Call it a rude awakening, fatigue, hopelessness, or whatever the terminology we may like to use to describe the condition, it is getting old and wearing both of the negotiating sides down. The stalemate may be the goal of preserving the persona of the EU as a strictly Christian “club,” one that would consider Turkey to be an un-European country from cultural and religious standpoints. Is the EU club incapable of incorporating a larger candidate country like Turkey into the free trade block, or are there other reasons we may have for questioning the viability of the ongoing talks? Some of the member states of the EU already started to pronounce suspension, ending the ongoing accession negotiations, or otherwise formulating a relationship similar to Brexit that is something other than the full membership of the EU for Turkey. All involved need to take a hard look at the goals for membership and make a conclusive decision to eradicate the uncertainty and continuing fruitless talks. This paper will evaluate the prospects of this hotly debated membership status of Turkey, the current issues surrounding the ongoing accession negotiation processes, and the progress toward the completion of the now open ended and ongoing formal accession talks