Turkey and the European Union: Conditions, Impact and Prejudice

The aim of the project- developed in cooperation with the Ankara- based Economic Policy Research Institute (TEPAV) and other ten EU research centres- was to fill the gap which separates the research community from the wider political debate on the EU-Turkey question. Its aim was to disentangle the 'objective' factors determining the pros and cons, the costs and opportunities, the challenges and the possible solutions in the EU-Turkey relationship, from the unspelt prejudices bedevilling and framing the political debate. Doing so, and disentangling fact from prejudices has been of critical importance to restore greater trust and credibility in EU-Turkey reltionship, irrespective of its ultimate shape or form. To serve this end the project established in 2007 a network of experts and institutions from several EU member states and Turkey. Ten position papers on the different national positions (UE) regarding the Turkey question have been written, and collectively published in the issue of IAI Quaderni series Conditionality, Impact and Prejudice in EUI-Turkey Relations. The publication was presented by the "Talking Turkey network" to the European Parliament in Brussels. In the October conference the network established by IAI and TEPAV discussed how to continue the research activities and debate in 2008 through new publication and public events