Turkey's European Odyssey 2: An Economic Perspective

Turkey's European Odyssey 2: An Economic Perspective, Winter 2004

Turkey’s EU odyssey has recently entered a new phase. As we celebrate the decision of the EU to start membership negotiations with Turkey on October 3rd, 2005, we are also aware of the challenges before us. Much of the harmonization to come is economic in nature and for many segments of society it will cause hardship. It is, therefore, important that people at all levels, both at home and abroad, are conscious of what lies ahead of us and the underlying rationale behind them, as well as...

Nigâr Göksel | 05 February 2005

Turkey and the EU: A New Era, Winter 2004

Turkey has passed a very critical threshold after the December 17 European Council Summit decision. Accordingly Turkey is promoted from a candidate country to an accession country status. The negotiations for full membership will start in October 2005. The Government’s most important priority in the coming period will be ensuring and maintaining the convergence of Turkey to the European Union. Turkey has done a lot in terms of both political and economic reforms during the last two...

Ali Babacan | 05 February 2005

How can the New Members Catch up?, Winter 2004

Since the early 1990’s, the prospect of eventual admission to the EU led to important economic progress in the 10 new EU member states. The author outlines this progress as well as the positive effects that membership itself will have on the mentioned economies. However, there are challenges involved in these countries catching up with the EU’s leaders. According to the author, good domestic policies as well as strong and well-targeted EU policies are necessary for the gap to be...

Leszek Balcerowicz | 05 February 2005

Relative Income Growth and Convergence, Winter 2004

This paper assesses the growth prospects for the Turkish economy over the next decade. It implicitly asks whether Turkey can start closing the gap with the EU in terms of income per capita when it has achieved macroeconomic stability and when the negotiations with the EU provide an anchor for overall economic policy-making.Viewed from this perspective, the outlook is promising. Turkey is still poor, compared to most of the existing EU members, but is also more dynamic. The fact...

Kemal Derviş & D. Gros, F. Öztrak, F. Bayar, Y. Işık | 05 February 2005

The Future of Turkish-EU Trade Relations: Deepening vs. Widening, Winter 2004

Owing to the EU-Turkish customs union, there is already a considerable degree of convergence between Turkey and the EU in the area of trade. In fact, Turkey is the only candidate country that has a customs union with the EU. At least with respect to the trade in goods, Turkey is almost part of the Single Market. The challenge of enhancing the present state of trade integration could be approached in two ways. First, the customs union could be deepened by refining the arrangements and...

Sinan Ülgen & Yiannis Zahariadis | 05 February 2005

The Turkish Gate: Energy Transit and Security Issues, Winter 2004

This paper sets out Turkey’s current and potential role in the supply of gas to Europe, starting with the EU’s need for gas, the geography of global gas disposition and Turkey’s importance as a natural funnel through which the EU can access gas from many of the world’s leading gas suppliers. It also places Turkey’s role in the context of EU reliance on Russia as its largest single supplier of gas. It deals with the existing and potential pipeline infrastructure for...

John Roberts | 05 February 2005

Member-State Building in Turkey Part Two: The Challenge of Cohesion, Winter 2004

This article explores the nature of the member-state building process that has taken place in the past decade in Central and South Eastern Europe. It notes the importance of the Helsinki European Council decision in 1999 to treat all candidate countries within a single framework, and highlights how this has led to parallel transformations of the political landscape in Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey. In all three countries opponents of reforms associated with EU membership were...

Gerald Knaus | 05 February 2005

Growth and Immigration Scenarios: Turkey-EU, Winter 2004

This study estimates the probable magnitude of immigration from Turkey to the EU when Turkey becomes a full member and restrictions on movement of labor are removed. Alternative methods and scenarios are scrutinized in forecasts for the period 2004 to 2030. The analyses are based on the experience of countries that have already joined the EU. Special attention was paid to the experiences of the southern “cohesion” countries - Greece, Portugal and Spain - and Turkey’s...

Refik Erzan & Umut Kuzubaş, Nilüfer Yıldız | 05 February 2005

The Role of Anti-Corruption in the Turkish Accession to the EU, Winter 2004

Anti-corruption will feature prominently in Turkey’s talks on EU accession. Despite claims to the contrary, the data show that corruption levels in Turkey are not radically different than those in many other accession countries. While Turkey already meets many of the requirements for negotiating and completing accession, Turkey will need to bolster its anti-corruption programme. Key elements will include increased public sector co-ordination and the design and implementation of a credible...

Bryane Michael | 05 February 2005

Merger and Acquisition Controls in Turkey and in Turkish-EU Relations: An Agenda for Future, Winter 2004

This article examines the law and practices related to merger and acquisitions (M&A) in Turkey. An overview of the strengths and weaknesses of the Competition Board is carried out with a set of suggestions as to how it may be possible to prepare for the needs which may arise in light of the anticipated changes in Turkey-EU relations. The importance of domestic constituency building and the priority of SMEs, as well as the importance of judiciary reform are emphasized. The article touches...

Ural Akuzum | 05 February 2005

The International Position of Turkey Regarding FDI Policies and Perspectives after 17/12/04, Winter 2004

Foreign direct investments (FDI) are a crucial variable in economic development. Presently they are the most important source of external finance for developing countries and the type of external resource that offers the highest probability of promoting sound growth. Turkey has not yet been able to attract a significant amount of FDI flows for a country with an economy of its size. In an international comparison the country demonstrates low performance and potential. This fact is...

Angelo Santagostino & Andrea Fornari | 05 February 2005

Turkey's European Odyssey 2: An Economic PerspectiveVol. 3 No. 4 - Winter 2004

Turkey's European Odyssey 2: An Economic Perspective
Vol. 3 No. 4 - Winter 2004