Place of association relationship in the process of Turkey`s full membership to the European Union and Customs Union

The relations between Turkey and European Community (EC) is based on the Ankara Agreement which entered into force on 1 December 1964 and established an association between Turkey and the Community. Association agreement which set the eventual target as full membership has been supported by the Additional Protocol which came into force in 1973. The Agreement is based on customs union which is structured on three phases, and the customs union between Turkey and the Community entered into force on 1 January 1996 in accordance with the decision no 1/95 of Association Council. The customs union did not come into effect concurrently with full membership and thus it is claimed that it has been harming full membership process. Thus it has created a necessity to comply with the common trade policy of the EU without having a word in the formulation of these policies. While the association has been developing in this process, Turkey applied for full membership in 1987 and was granted candidacy status in 1999 Helsinki European Council. Accession negotiations which constitute a significant step for full membership started on 3 October 2005. Turkey is the only country having a customs union without being a member of the EC. Regarding the association between Turkey and EC, it could be said that this is a temporary situation. It could be said that association relationship would accelerate the harmonization in the chapters related with the single market and facilitate full membership in the accession process. In this study, the place of association relationship in the full membership process is examined. To study on this topic, judicial and technical analysis of association relationship is essential. Therefore, the foundation of the association between Turkey and the EC, the reasons for this foundation and the problems occurred during this process will be examined in the first section. In the second section in which accession process of Turkey in the EU and the possible implications of customs union are handled, the issue of Turkey?s full membership and the relationship between full membership and association relationship will be examined. In the last section, Turkey?s accession perspective to the EU will be analyzed. Key Words: European Union, Turkey-EU Relations, Association between Turkey and EC, Full Membership Process, Customs Union.