What is the history of relations between Turkey and the EU?
Contractual relations between Turkey and the EU go back to 1963, when the ‘Ankara Agreement’, which is an association agreement, was signed. Turkey first applied for membership 1987. The Commission’s Opinion on this application from 1989 concludes that it would not be useful to open accession negotiations with Turkey straight away, but at the same time relations with Turkey should be intensified. In 1995 the Customs Union has been established. In 1997, Turkey’s eligibility for accession to the EU was confirmed by the Luxembourg European Council. In 1999 the Helsinki European Council granted candidate country status to Turkey. In December 2002 the Copenhagen European Council decided that if Turkey fulfils the Copenhagen political criteria[1], the EU will open accession negotiations with Turkey without delay. In December 2004 the European Council concluded that Turkey sufficiently fulfils the political criteria to open accession negotiations on 3 October 2005.
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European Turkey Relations
Feb. 1952: Turkey becomes a full member of NATO.
Sept. 1959: Ankara applies for associate membership of the European Economic Community.
Sept. 1963: Ankara Agreement (an association agreement) signed to take Turkey into a customs union and finally full EEC membership. First financial protocol also signed.
Nov. 1970: Additional Protocol and second financial protocol signed in Brussels.
Jan. 1973: Additional Protocol enters into force, comprehensively setting out how the customs union would be established.
July 1974: Turkey invades Cyprus.
During the first half of the 1980s, relations between Turkey and the EEC come to a virtual freeze following the military coup d'etat on 12 September 1980.
June 1980: Association Council decides to decrease customs duties on almost all agricultural products to "zero" by 1987.
Sept. 1986: Turkey-EEC Association Council meeting revives the association process.
14 April 1987: Turkey applies for full EEC membership.
Dec. 1989: Commission endorses Turkey's eligibility for membership but defers assessment of its application.
March 1995: Turkey-EU Association Council finalises agreement on customs union, which enters into force on 1 January 1996.
Dec. 1997: Luxembourg summit sees EU leaders decline to grant candidate status to Turkey.
Dec. 1999: Helsinki summit gives candidate status to Turkey.
March 2001: Council of Ministers adopts EU-Turkey Accession Partnership.
March 2001: Turkish government adopts National Programme of Turkey for adopting EU laws.
Sept. 2001: Turkish parliament adopts over 30 amendments to the constitution in order to meet the Copenhagen political criteria for EU membership.
Aug. 2002: Turkish parliament passes sweeping reforms to meet EU's human rights criteria.
13 Dec. 2002: Copenhagen summit resolves 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 EU would open accession negotiations with Turkey. In the meantime, EU leaders agree to extend and deepen co-operation on customs union and to provide Turkey with increased pre-accession financial assistance.
May 2003: Council of Ministers decides on the principles, priorities, intermediate objectives and conditions of an Accession Partnership with Turkey.
Jan. 2004: Turkey signs protocol banning death penalty in all circumstances, a move welcomed by the EU.
March 2004: European Council recommends ending monitoring of Turkey.
17 Dec. 2004: European Council decides to open accession negotiations with Turkey on 3 October
2005: with strings attached.
23 May 2005: Turkey names Economy Minister Ali Babacan as the country's chief accession negotiator.
1 June 2005: Turkey's revised penal code, first adopted in September 2004, enters into force.
17 June 2005: Council reiterates EU's determination to proceed with enlargement process.
29 June 2005: Commission presents 'rigorous' negotiating framework to Ankara.
29 July 2005: Turkey signs protocol to Ankara agreement, extending EU-15 customs union to the ten new member states including Cyprus. Ankara also issues a declaration on non-recognition of Cyprus.
21 Sept. 2005: EU approves its counter-declaration to Turkey's 29 July declaration.
3 Oct. 2005: Accession talks symbolically opened with Turkey.
23 Jan. 2006: Council decides on principles, priorities and conditions contained in Accession Partnership with Turkey.
16 March: European Parliament adopts resolution based on report by Elmar Brok on Commission's enlargement strategy paper.
12 Apr. 2006: Selection panel for the European Capital of Culture 2010 recommends Istanbul.
12 June 2006: EU starts concrete accession negotiations with Turkey. The negotiating framework specifies 35 chapters. Each chapter needs to be unanimously opened and closed by the Council. Council agrees to open and close chapter on science and research.
12-27 July 2006: A court ruling on 'Turkishness' in the case of Hrant Dink sends an ambivalent signal to EU and raises concerns over freedom of expression in Turkey.
31 July 2006: Hardline General Yasar Büyükanit appointed chief of Turkish military.
4 Sept. 2006: European Parliament adopts report concerning Turkey's progress on preparing for membership. The report said Turkey had made insufficient progress in the areas of freedom of expression, minority rights, corruption and violence against women.
8 Nov. 2006: Commission publishes critical report on Turkey's accession progress.
29 Nov. 2006: Commission recommends partial suspension of membership negotiations with Turkey due to lack of progress on Cyprus issue.
11 Dec. 2006: EU foreign ministers decide to follow Commission's recommendations and suspend talks with Turkey on eight of the 35 negotiating areas.
26 June 2007: Two further negotiating chapters, on statistics and financial control, are opened. But opening chapter on economic and monetary union is taken off agenda.
22 July 2007: Erdogan's ruling AKP gets re-elected with 47% of vote in early parliamentary elections.
28 Aug. 2007: Abdullah Gül is elected president of Turkey in third round of voting in the Turkish assembly.
Febr. 2008: Adoption by Council of revised Accession Partnership for Turkey.
March 2008: Turkish Constitutional Court narrowly rejects allegations that AKP Party is trying to establish Islamist state. If accepted, the allegations would have led to the banning of the party.
June 2008: Negotiations open on two chapters: intellectual property and company law.
20 Oct. 2008: Ergenekon trial - which sees members of the military and security establishment accused of fomenting unrest – begins.
2009: Kurdish initiative launched with a view to extending cultural and linguistic rights to the Kurdish minority, whose condition is seen as a major problem in EU accession talks.
Jan. 2009: Egemen Bagiş appointed minister for EU accession and chief negotiator.
March 2009: Local elections weaken standing of the AKP party which lost some 8% of votes compared to parliamentary election in 2007.
8 July 2009: Turkey adopts law aimed at meeting EU criteria to limit the power of military courts, despite warnings from the army that this might escalate tensions with government
14 Sept. 2009: Government defends $2.5 billion dollar measure against Dogan Media Holding. Considering the critical stance of the latter against the government, the EU expressed concern
10 Oct. 2009: Turkey and Armenia signed a peace accord in Zurich aimed at opening borders between the neighbouring countries. The rapprochement is seen as a precondition for Turkish accession.
14 Oct. 2009: Latest progress report on Turkish accession published
Sept. 1959: Ankara applies for associate membership of the European Economic Community.
Sept. 1963: Ankara Agreement (an association agreement) signed to take Turkey into a customs union and finally full EEC membership. First financial protocol also signed.
Nov. 1970: Additional Protocol and second financial protocol signed in Brussels.
Jan. 1973: Additional Protocol enters into force, comprehensively setting out how the customs union would be established.
July 1974: Turkey invades Cyprus.
During the first half of the 1980s, relations between Turkey and the EEC come to a virtual freeze following the military coup d'etat on 12 September 1980.
June 1980: Association Council decides to decrease customs duties on almost all agricultural products to "zero" by 1987.
Sept. 1986: Turkey-EEC Association Council meeting revives the association process.
14 April 1987: Turkey applies for full EEC membership.
Dec. 1989: Commission endorses Turkey's eligibility for membership but defers assessment of its application.
March 1995: Turkey-EU Association Council finalises agreement on customs union, which enters into force on 1 January 1996.
Dec. 1997: Luxembourg summit sees EU leaders decline to grant candidate status to Turkey.
Dec. 1999: Helsinki summit gives candidate status to Turkey.
March 2001: Council of Ministers adopts EU-Turkey Accession Partnership.
March 2001: Turkish government adopts National Programme of Turkey for adopting EU laws.
Sept. 2001: Turkish parliament adopts over 30 amendments to the constitution in order to meet the Copenhagen political criteria for EU membership.
Aug. 2002: Turkish parliament passes sweeping reforms to meet EU's human rights criteria.
13 Dec. 2002: Copenhagen summit resolves 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 EU would open accession negotiations with Turkey. In the meantime, EU leaders agree to extend and deepen co-operation on customs union and to provide Turkey with increased pre-accession financial assistance.
May 2003: Council of Ministers decides on the principles, priorities, intermediate objectives and conditions of an Accession Partnership with Turkey.
Jan. 2004: Turkey signs protocol banning death penalty in all circumstances, a move welcomed by the EU.
March 2004: European Council recommends ending monitoring of Turkey.
17 Dec. 2004: European Council decides to open accession negotiations with Turkey on 3 October
2005: with strings attached.
23 May 2005: Turkey names Economy Minister Ali Babacan as the country's chief accession negotiator.
1 June 2005: Turkey's revised penal code, first adopted in September 2004, enters into force.
17 June 2005: Council reiterates EU's determination to proceed with enlargement process.
29 June 2005: Commission presents 'rigorous' negotiating framework to Ankara.
29 July 2005: Turkey signs protocol to Ankara agreement, extending EU-15 customs union to the ten new member states including Cyprus. Ankara also issues a declaration on non-recognition of Cyprus.
21 Sept. 2005: EU approves its counter-declaration to Turkey's 29 July declaration.
3 Oct. 2005: Accession talks symbolically opened with Turkey.
23 Jan. 2006: Council decides on principles, priorities and conditions contained in Accession Partnership with Turkey.
16 March: European Parliament adopts resolution based on report by Elmar Brok on Commission's enlargement strategy paper.
12 Apr. 2006: Selection panel for the European Capital of Culture 2010 recommends Istanbul.
12 June 2006: EU starts concrete accession negotiations with Turkey. The negotiating framework specifies 35 chapters. Each chapter needs to be unanimously opened and closed by the Council. Council agrees to open and close chapter on science and research.
12-27 July 2006: A court ruling on 'Turkishness' in the case of Hrant Dink sends an ambivalent signal to EU and raises concerns over freedom of expression in Turkey.
31 July 2006: Hardline General Yasar Büyükanit appointed chief of Turkish military.
4 Sept. 2006: European Parliament adopts report concerning Turkey's progress on preparing for membership. The report said Turkey had made insufficient progress in the areas of freedom of expression, minority rights, corruption and violence against women.
8 Nov. 2006: Commission publishes critical report on Turkey's accession progress.
29 Nov. 2006: Commission recommends partial suspension of membership negotiations with Turkey due to lack of progress on Cyprus issue.
11 Dec. 2006: EU foreign ministers decide to follow Commission's recommendations and suspend talks with Turkey on eight of the 35 negotiating areas.
26 June 2007: Two further negotiating chapters, on statistics and financial control, are opened. But opening chapter on economic and monetary union is taken off agenda.
22 July 2007: Erdogan's ruling AKP gets re-elected with 47% of vote in early parliamentary elections.
28 Aug. 2007: Abdullah Gül is elected president of Turkey in third round of voting in the Turkish assembly.
Febr. 2008: Adoption by Council of revised Accession Partnership for Turkey.
March 2008: Turkish Constitutional Court narrowly rejects allegations that AKP Party is trying to establish Islamist state. If accepted, the allegations would have led to the banning of the party.
June 2008: Negotiations open on two chapters: intellectual property and company law.
20 Oct. 2008: Ergenekon trial - which sees members of the military and security establishment accused of fomenting unrest – begins.
2009: Kurdish initiative launched with a view to extending cultural and linguistic rights to the Kurdish minority, whose condition is seen as a major problem in EU accession talks.
Jan. 2009: Egemen Bagiş appointed minister for EU accession and chief negotiator.
March 2009: Local elections weaken standing of the AKP party which lost some 8% of votes compared to parliamentary election in 2007.
8 July 2009: Turkey adopts law aimed at meeting EU criteria to limit the power of military courts, despite warnings from the army that this might escalate tensions with government
14 Sept. 2009: Government defends $2.5 billion dollar measure against Dogan Media Holding. Considering the critical stance of the latter against the government, the EU expressed concern
10 Oct. 2009: Turkey and Armenia signed a peace accord in Zurich aimed at opening borders between the neighbouring countries. The rapprochement is seen as a precondition for Turkish accession.
14 Oct. 2009: Latest progress report on Turkish accession published
