Recommendation of the European Commission on Turkey’s progress towards accession. Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament.

Abstract

EU-Turkey relations have a long history. In 1963 Turkey and the EEC entered into an Association Agreement containing a membership perspective. In 1995, a customs union was formed and, in Helsinki in December 1999, the European Council decided that Turkey is a candidate for accession to the EU. The Copenhagen European Council in December 2002 concluded that “if the European Council in December 2004, on the basis of a report and a recommendation from the Commission, decides that Turkey fulfils the Copenhagen political criteria, the European Union will open accession negotiations with Turkey without delay”. These conclusions were reaffirmed by the European Council in Brussels in June 2004. For major periods of European history, Turkey has been an important factor of European politics. Turkey is member of all important other European organisations and has since the Second World War played an important role in contributing to the shaping of European policies.