Specificities of Turkey’s accession process to the European Union

Regional economic integration is a long-standing phenomenon that has emerged as a strategy for states to improve their political and economic performance on the international stage. The most representative example is the integration of the European Union, made up of 28 member states, organised around common institutions and with their own legal system. The initial success of the European bloc attracted the attention of other countries, such as Turkey, which, continuing its foreign policy of rapprochement with the West, is seeking to join the Union as a full member. The Turkish accession process, which is considered complex, controversial and has dragged on for several years, has served as a stimulus for Turkey to carry out profound economic, social, political and cultural transformations, especially in its legal system. In this context, addressing the definition, levels, causes, objectives, effects, advantages, disadvantages and the correlation between the integration process and the protection of human rights, this book points out the legislative changes implemented by Turkey in the field of human rights, with a view to meeting the convergence criteria.