The European Union's external aviation policy on the basis of Europeanization: A case study on the common aviation area

The purpose of this study is to examine the Common Aviation Area (CAA), which is one of the three pillars of the EU's external aviation policy. The CAA aims to create a level playing field that liberalizes the air transport market of the EU's neighboring countries and ensures legislative harmonization with those countries. The CAA will be discussed within the scope of Europeanization. The research question of this study is "What explains the harmonization of ENP countries with the EU acquis in the field of civil aviation?" In order to answer the research question and test the accuracy of the proposed hypothesis, case study techniques, process tracing, and semi-structured interviews were used. Georgia and Moldova were examined within the scope of the CAA. In this context, the hypothesis put forward within the framework of this study is that the material expectations of the ENP countries are the main determinant for the creation of the CAA. This study is divided into four parts. After the introduction, the second chapter will include the conceptual and theoretical framework and methodology. In the third chapter, it will be discussed whether Georgia and Moldova could be seen as being motivated by material expectations for being included in the CAA. The last chapter will summarize the main findings.