AN EXAMINATION OF TURKEY'S APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP IN THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY
This research examines Turkey's application for full membership in the European Community (EC). Although the EC is commonly referred to in the singular, it is actually a collection of communities formed to deal with specific common functions, of which the European Economic Community (EEC) is one. As greater integration within the EC occurs, the independence of action of the separate communities is diminished, and the EC moves closer to becoming an entity (Weinberger, 1990, p. 29). In examining the potential membership of Turkey in the EC, it is necessary to consider political factors as well as economic factors, because new members to the organization are required to make political commitments as well as fulfill economic criteria.
The examination of Turkey's application for full membership in the EC is developed through the consideration of four topics. These topics are (1) the EC system and protocols for expansion, (2) the Turkish economy, (3) the history of Turkey's involvement with the EC, and (4) significant problems related to the acceptance of Turkey as a full member in the EC.
The EC System and Expansion Protocols
The EEC was created with the signing of a treaty in Rome in 1957, by Belgium, France, the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), Italy, Luxembourg, and the Nederlands (Paxton, 1991, p. 63). The European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) was created at the same time, by the same treaty, and with the same membership (Brewin, 1987, p. 3). Both the EEC and EURATOM became functioning realities on 1 January 1958 (Brewin and McAllister, 1988, p. 434). Prior to the creation of the EEC and EURATOM, the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) had been created by a treaty signed in Paris in 1951, and became a functional reality on 10 August 1952. The ECSC was the first of the communities, and, when it was formed, was comprised of the ...