Turkey's Membership in the European Union: Analyzing Potential Benefits and Drawbacks

Relations between Turkey and European integration institutions began with Turkey's application for associate membership in the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1959. Turkey applied for full membership in the EEC in 1987 but did not gain candidate status until 1999. Since 1999, relations between Turkey and the European Union (EU) have gained momentum, and Turkey's EU accession negotiations began in 2005. Since that time, discussions about the implications of Turkey's prospective EU membership have become more serious and extensive in both Turkey and the EU. This thesis analyzes the potential advantages and drawbacks of Turkey's EU membership for both Turkey and the EU. It considers economic, social, political, and security factors. The main conclusion of the thesis is that, taking into account all the possible effects, the possible advantages of this membership outweigh the potential drawbacks for both Turkey and the EU. Greater efforts to conclude the negotiation process with full EU membership for Turkey would therefore be highly desirable.