This
paper examines Turkey's trajectory towards EU membership, from the
rebuttal at the Luxembourg summit of December 1997 to the award of
full candidate status at Helsinki two years later. Perceived barriers
to Turkey's eventual membership are examined, in particular political
problems and cultural differences. An alternative explanation for
Turkey's marginalisation is advanced. Over the past decade Turkey
has been excluded from the whole range of pan-European initiatives
(infrastructural projects, transport and communication networks) offered
to candidate counties from eastern and central Europe. Turkey's promotion
to full candidate status, while constituting a clear step forward,
cannot easily compensate for ten years of systematic exclusion from
projects designed to progressively integrate non-members and facilitate
their harmonization with the EU. It is argued that the central issue
in relation to Turkey's inclusion in the enlargement process is how
Turkey can be properly incorporated into the EU's network programmes.
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