EU–Turkey Relations: A New Direction for EU Foreign Policy?

This insightful book analyses EU foreign policy vis-a-vis Turkey over the last institutional cycle, uncovering how its internal functioning and structural context affects the decisions made by the EU, in both day-to-day and crisis situations. It reconstructs and interprets EU--Turkey relations since 2014, arguing that Turkey has, overall, become a key strategic partner to the EU. Acknowledging that EU enlargement policy is part of a broader foreign policy framework, which also includes other domains such as the external dimension of migration and CFSP, Elena Baracani adopts a unique approach, combining more actor-oriented factors with structural factors to analyse EU--Turkey relations. Special features include the use of first-hand empirical material, an introduction to the concept of different shades of EU foreign policy, and a new, comprehensive evaluation of EU foreign policy actorness. Original and perceptive, EU--Turkey Relations will be of special interest to scholars and students in the field of EU studies and foreign policy, who are looking to further their understanding of the foreign policy contributions of different institutions and bureaucratic actors.

Table of Contents:
Contents: 1. A new direction for EU foreign policy? 2. The structural contexts shaping EU foreign policy 3. The Commission: formulating EU foreign policy towards Turkey 4. The European Council: prioritizing and reaching convergence on EU foreign policy towards Turkey 5. The Parliament: establishing the boundaries of a democratically accountable foreign policy towards Turkey 6. Different shades of EU foreign policy vis-à-vis Turkey References Index

About the Author :
Elena Baracani, Associate Professor of Political Science, Department of Political and Social Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy

Review :
‘This book provides a very useful, fine-grained analysis of the EU’s policy vis-a-vis Turkey. The latter does not get reduced to a couple of variables, but is analysed in its complexity, driven by various institutional actors and influenced by a multi-level structural context. Based on different theoretical perspectives and extended original empirical research, this book contributes to a better understanding of EU-Turkey relations and why they have been so challenging over the last years.’ 'This is an important contribution to the EU foreign policy making process with a focus on the interplay of different layers of decision-making and the key actors involved. It should appeal to a broad audience and especially to those who would like to learn more about the European perspectives on the complex and important relationship involving Turkey and the EU.'