An asset but not a model: Turkey, the EU and the wider Middle East

Many politicians and commentators tend to disparage the EU's nascent foreign policy. They should travel to Turkey. It is true that the EU has a poor record in making its mark on global crises. But its ability to exert influence in countries wishing to join the EU has been nothing short of revolutionary. In recent years, successive Turkish governments, and especially the new AKP government led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, have passed rafts of reform packages. These reforms have brought Turkey into line with the EU's exacting Copenhagen membership criteria on democracy and human rights.

Steven Everts was a senior research fellow at the CER (2000-2004).