Trilateral Dialogue between Germany, the U.S., and Turkey: Turkey’s EU Accession – Endless Negotiations?

After a flurry of enlargement in the early twenty-first century, the European Union may now be encountering enlargement fatigue. After receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 2012 in recognition of the success of the European project, the EU again looked at its foreign and enlargement policies, and the prospect for adding new member states. Although Croatia joined the EU earlier in 2013, the question of Turkey’s membership remains unclear. Existing members are undecided, with countries such as Germany and France preferring a “privileged partnership” to full membership.

More than ten years after the EU initiated negotiations for Turkey’s EU membership, this project seeks to analyze the current status of these negotiations. The project will analyze the relationship between the EU and Turkey and well as the geopolitical meaning of Turkey as a NATO member and the role of American interests. Outstanding questions regarding Turkey’s internal policy toward religious tolerance, human rights, and minority groups, which have also stalled progress, will also be addressed.

AGI is undertaking this project in partnership with the Brandenburgisches Institut für Gesellschaft und Sicherheit (BIGS) and the Middle East Technical University (METU), creating a trilateral dialogue culminating in three conferences in 2013 and 2014 in Washington, Berlin, and Ankara.