logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2016
22m 58s

Does Turkey Still Want to Join the EU?

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Turkey first applied to join the European club over 50 years ago. Over the subsequent decades-long flirtation, enthusiasm for the EU in Turkey has remained high. Integrating with Europe, it was thought, would spur modernisation and economic development. But the country is changing under President Erdogan – who recently survived a coup attempt – in ways which deepen doubts in Europe about whether Turkey really shares its values. And enthusiasm in Turkey for the EU has begun to ebb away, as fewer and fewer Turks believe the EU will ever fully embrace them. So, our question this week: does Turkey still want to join the EU? Contributors: Aykan Erdemir, former Turkish politician; Amberin Zaman, journalist and fellow at the Wilson Center; Senem Aydın-Düzgit, professor in international relations at Sabancı University; and Sinan Ulgen, scholar in Turkish foreign relations at Carnegie Europe.

Presenter: Chris Morris Producer: Julia Ross

(Photo: European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker welcomes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the EU Commission in Brussels, Belgium, 05 October 2015. BBC Copyright, Elvis)

Up next
Today
Is Portugal’s drugs policy in need of reform?
In 2001, Portugal decriminalised the possession and use of all illicit drugs. It was a move designed to mitigate the country’s public health crisis, which at the time meant Portugal had one of the worst rates of overdose deaths in Europe, as well as the highest rate of HIV among ... Show More
23m 21s
May 26
What’s the future for monetary unions?
At the beginning of this year Bulgaria, considered as one of the poorest countries in the European Union, became the latest to officially join the eurozone. Bulgaria’s legal tender since 1881 had been the lev, but since the mid-1990s it had been pegged to other European currencie ... Show More
23m 15s
May 19
Are the Himalayan glaciers at a tipping point?
The Himalayan glaciers are melting more rapidly as global temperatures rise, raising concerns about the future of ecosystems and communities across the Himalayan mountain range. Glaciers store more than two thirds of the world’s freshwater and help regulate global temperatures by ... Show More
24m 30s
Recommended Episodes
May 2023
The end of Erdoğan? — Turkey's EU accession ambitions — Europe Day
This week, the focus is on Turkey and what's at stake in elections happening May 14. We also hear from British writer and scholar Hugh Pope, who has written extensively on modern Turkey and tackles the long-standing issue of EU accession. Host Suzanne Lynch is joined by POLITICO' ... Show More
32m 56s
May 2023
Turkish Elections: The End of Erdogan?
Turkey’s longtime leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan is facing what many describe as his toughest election yet. On Sunday, May 14th polls will open for presidential and parliamentary elections, and amid a dire economic crisis in the country, his prospects are in doubt. His leading rival ... Show More
45m 32s
Feb 2021
Erdogan's Middle East Policy
This week on Babel, Jon Alterman talks with Ambassador James Jeffrey, who recently finished serving as the Secretary of State's special representative for Syria engagement and as the special envoy to defeat ISIS. Ambassador Jeffrey talked about Turkey's Middle East policy, how to ... Show More
32m 58s
Jun 2023
Turquía: ¿por qué importa tanto a Europa si cada vez está más lejos?
<p>En Turquía el presidente <a href="https://elpais.com/opinion/2023-05-30/erdogan-vuelve-a-ganar.html">Recep Tayyip Erdogan ha vuelto a ganar las elecciones</a> después de 20 años en el poder. Lo ha hecho con un proyecto cada vez más nacionalista, más autoritario. Ya no se vende ... Show More
19m 32s
May 2023
La Turquie à l'heure du vote
Les yeux tournés vers la Turquie, alors que les élections de ce dimanche (14 mai 2023) sont présentées comme le scrutin le plus important de l'année dans le monde par The Economist. Après 20 ans au pouvoir, le président Erdogan pourrait-il perdre face à une opposition enfin unie ... Show More
48m 30s
May 2023
Erdogan peut-il perdre les élections en Turquie?
Regard sur les élections présidentielles et législatives du 14 mai 2023 en Turquie. Des scrutins qui se déroulent en pleine crise économique dans un pays, par ailleurs, traumatisé par le tremblement de terre du mois de février 2023. Âgé de 69 ans, Recep Erdogan est candidat à la ... Show More
50 m
Apr 2023
Erdogan: l'homme de fer aux pieds d’argile?
À trois semaines d’une présidentielle et d’élections législatives cruciales pour la Turquie... Retour sur celui qui dirige ce pays d'une main de fer, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 20 ans au pouvoir, une longévité et une popularité exceptionnelle mais jamais autant menacée. Erdogan est-il ... Show More
48m 30s