Turkey and European Union Relations and the Developments in the Aftermath of July 15th Military Coup Attempt

The failed coup attempt of July 15th, 2016 constitutes one of the recent turning points in Turkish political life. Such attempt has not only affected to the internal political arena, but also has had implications for the Turkish foreign policy. Both Turkey’s approach towards outside actors with which have a relation and the outside actors’ attitudes towards Turkey have changed dramatically after the coup attempt. The coup attempt has had an effect in Turkey’s relations with the EU which Turkey has had a relation economically, politically and culturally for a long time and also wanted to be its member. This study elaborates on the effects of the July 15th coup on the Turkey-EU relations. In this scope, firstly, the pre- July 15th developments in Turkey-EU relations are provided briefly. In the second part, which constitutes the focal point of the study, the post- July 15th developments in Turkey-EU relations are discussed. The general conclusion of the study is that Turkey-EU relations will be built upon a new rationale, which hasn’t gained accuracy yet, in the post- July 15th setting