ABSTRACT
Analyses of the AKP, whether critical or supportive of its policies, have often underestimated the degree of change the AKP has undergone since its ascent to government in 2002. This change is most visible in the development of the relations between Turkey and the EU. The ascent of the AKP to power cannot be separated from its context, in particular the much celebrated rapprochement between Turkey and the EU which led to the concession of candidate status for Turkey in 1999 and the beginning of negotiations in 2005. Therefore, an analysis of AKP policies towards EU accession highlights both the development of basic principles and norms of the AKP as well as the role EU policies played in Turkish politics.
