Turkey and the European Union Relations: A Constitutional Perspective

Sinem Ayanoğlu Tepekozcan

The European Union accession process of Turkey is a very long journey and controversial issue for more than a half century. The EU membership of Turkey is seen as a necessity for democratisation by some circles. On the other hand, the importance of the constitutionalism is an indisputable need for democracies. Constitutionalism, the rule of law and institutional procedures are undoubtedly inseparable parts of consolidated democracies. For that reason, Turkey carries out very comprehensive legislative reforms and constitutional amendments especially after 1995 in the light of the European Union accession process which are still insufficient. Nowadays, when the new constitution-making discussions are in the political agenda in Turkey, this study aims to look through the EU- Turkey relations from the perspective of constitutional reforms.