Turkey’s Road to European Union Membership

The possibility of Turkey to become member of the European Union has raised numerousdebates and concerns. Even the founding principle of unity in diversity seems to be challenged by thepossibility of Turkish accession as this country possesses several features that are different from therest of EU member states. Opinions related to Turkey EU membership are often divergent, each siderelying on their own arguments. Proponents argue that Turkey is a regional power with a largeeconomy and a strong military force that will enhance EU's position as a global geostrategic player.On the other hand, opponents emphasize the demographic projections which indicate that, in aroundten years, Turkey will become EU’s most populous state. They also draw attention upon Turkey’sdifferent cultural and religious background. Objectives: This paper is focused on revealing keyaspectsof EU-Turkey relations in the context of accession negotiations. Furthermore, the paperpresents the image of Turkey as a candidate country, emphasizing the opinion of officials but also theview of citizens, both from the European Union and Turkey. Approach: The paper is based onreviewing and analysis of existing research on the topic, including web-based documentation,statistics, press reports, EU reports.