Crs Report for Congress European Union Enlargement

October 2009 marked the fifth anniversary of the European Union's decision to proceed with formal negotiations with Turkey toward full membership in the Union. It also marked the beginning of the annual period when all three European Union institutions, the Council, Commission, and Parliament provide their assessment of the progress Turkey had made or failed to accomplish in the accession process over the previous year and to issue recommendations on whether and how Turkey's accession process should proceed. Many "Turkey-skeptics" in Europe saw the end of 2009 as a deadline for significant Turkish action that would have marked a critical juncture for the future of Europe's relationship with Turkey. At issue was not only the domestic reforms many felt Turkey needed to achieve to meet the requirements of the EU's acquis communautaire but whether the lack of progress by Turkey with respect to its relations with Cyprus would force EU member states into a difficult debate pitting loyalty to one of its own member states, being shunned by the candidate for Union membership, versus Europe's long-term strategic interests in Turkey. In the end, however, no significant changes in the EU's approach toward Turkey materialized. Throughout 2010 Turkey was the topic ...