Implementing the economic criteria of EU membership: How difficult is it for Turkey?

Article abstract:

This contribution examines the serious dilemmas and challenges Turkey faces in meeting the Copenhagen economic criteria. The author begins by describing briefly Turkey's economic indicators and the fundamental problems in its political economy which have complicated Turkey's accession to the EU. Next, the paper argues that the changes within the European project itself (the move from a Keynesian strategy, emphasising integration and cohesion, to a neo-liberal one with emphasis on deregulating markets in the face of growing global competition) and problems of coherence in the Copenhagen criteria, have further confounded Turkey's prospects for membership.