CHANGING PERCEPTIONS OF IDENTITY IN EUROPE AND ITS EFFECTS ON TURKEY'S ACCESSION PROCESS TO THE EUROPEAN UNION

Özet

The current enlargement process of the European Union (EU) brought discussions on the European identity into the attention. The progression of unification has recreated perceptions of others and thus also altered the perception of the European identity itself Concerning Turkey-EU relations, the European identity shift in its self-perception changed also the outlook on Turkey and its membership procedures as a consequence. The important point of discussion that these developments lead us is, whether the EU is a civilizational project with cultural, historical and religious referents or it is a community based on norms and values.