Europeanization of National Policy in Non-EU States: National Adaptation of Environmental Policy in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

ABSTRACT Europeanization is the transferring of the EU’s regulations, rules, structures toward the member or candidate states and non –member states. When the Republic of Cyprus (ROC) joined the European Union, the relationship between Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and European Union was affected after 2004. Basically, the EU does not recognize TRNC as a separate state, thus the EU refers to the TRNC as the Turkish Cypriot Community. Turkish Cypriot Community refers the northern side of the island and it is only recognized by Turkey as a republic. According to Protocol 10 of the Accession Treaty of 2003, the EU suspended the acquis communities in the northern part of island. The ROC represents the entire island in the EU community. On the other hand, the EU provides financial assistance to the Turkish Cypriot Community. This thesis deals with the impact of Europeanization on non-member states and focuses on the case of the TRNC. What are the meanings of Europeanization and its mechanisms? Which mechanisms are suitable for analysis of the case of TRNC? If EU does not recognize the TRNC as a state, how is the TRNC affected by EU’s directives without any conditions? Moreover, this thesis is going to focus on environmental policies of EU and its harmonization process on the TRNC’s administration. Is the TRNC successful at harmonization of the EU’s environmental legislation into its administration? The main purpose is to understand the Europeanization impact on non-member states and TRNC is a case study for this end. Keywords: Europeanization, Non-member States, Environmental Policy, European Union, New Environmental Legislation. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………