The effect of EU-Turkey relations, EU education and foreign language education policies on Turkey?s foreign language education and foreign language education policies

The integration movement that began in the area of economy has, today, come to the point of political unification, and parallel to that, more national policy areas began to be included in the supranational structure of the Union; however, EU does not have competences and thus binding common policies in the areas of general education and foreign language education that are two of the most important instruments in creating political unification, European Citizenship identity, and a dynamic, competitive, knowledge-driven economy. On the other hand, EU, reminiscent of the Tower of Babel with its 27 member-states, 23 official languages and approximately 40 indigenous languages, tries to create `unity in diversity? by promoting foreign language education, multilingualism, plurilingualism and by coordinating foreign language education policies of the member states.The history of EU-Turkey relations is almost as old as the history of the Union. However, EU did not have a meaningful effect on Turkey?s foreign language education policy for such reasons that EU did not have competences and binding common policies in the field of education, saw education as a taboo area for a long time, and that Turkey was not a full member and EU-Turkey relations were low profile for a long time and proceeded mostly along economy axis. As the Screening Process has shown, Turkey is already in harmony with EU in the areas of education and foreign language education as Turkish education system got Europeanized as much as possible in its own ontological order. Whether EU will have an effect on Turkey?s foreign language education policy in the future or not depends on the likelihood of Turkey?s full membership, likelihood of EU?s developing common policies in the field of foreign language education and what the content of these policies will be, since EU?s language policies, as of today, have dimensions related to minority, regional languages and education in the mother tongue that conflict with Turkey?s Constitutional unitary structure, and thus increase her threat perceptions.