Introduction

In this opening chapter we aim to provide the reader with a brief overview of the current developments in Turkey-European Union (EU) relations. Our analysis will introduce the main themes and issues in Turkey-EU relations. This will set the scene for the analytical endeavour upon which the different authors embark in their chapters. The fundamental question that underlies our analysis is: why, after knocking on its door for many decades, has Turkey still not been allowed to enter the EU? The answer, some might claim, is that Turkey is not yet ready for membership. This may have been an acceptable explanation when Turkey first applied for full membership in 1987, as a country with a fragile economy in transition to parliamentary democracy after the 1980 military coup. However, it seems to us (and many other observers) that today, eight years after accession negotiations have finally started between Turkey and the EU, the question can no longer be one of just ‘readiness’.