ABSTRACT
Turkey’s formal relationship with the European Union (EU) dates back to the 1960s, but it was only in 1999 that the pre-accession process, which marks the first stage of official negotiations towards membership, commenced. The rising credibility of the EU offer, together with stronger and incremental conditionality that focuses on individual steps that Turkey must take, helped drive socialisation of freedom of expression forward, as they saw the dramatic empowerment of the EU as a socialising agent. The growing credibility of the European offer of membership, and the growing financial relationship between Brussels and Ankara to ease the necessary transition, has seen extensive legislative and juridical realignment in Turkey towards European standards. The Accession Partnership outlined the short-term requirements in the field of human rights, including the need to strengthen civil society and intensify human rights training of law enforcement officials, so that not just legal reform filtered down into regular practice.
