Traditional definitions of power and security are changing, and policy making mechanisms transforming, the European Union (EU) emerges as a sui generis international organization. Since the EU is a unique supranational model for governance, it has to be a dynamic organization, renovating itself. While the EU is in this process of redefining and restructuring itself, assessing Turkey - EU relations in this process necessitates a new perspective. Rather than discussing whether or not Turkey should/could be a member of (or what kind of a partner to) the Union, it is important to focus on how Turkey situates itself vis-à-vis this regional and global organization. The role and importance of Turkey in Eurasia, the Middle East and Africa are also related to Turkey’s relations with the EU.
Istanbul Okan University European Union Research Center focuses on the Turkish - European Union relations in their regional and global context. The Center aims to inform the university community and all the stakeholders about Turkey’s membership process, taking into account all the political, social and economic actors.
With its global approach and with an advisory board composed of researchers and from different fields of social sciences as well as practitioners, the Center aims to create a space for the researchers from different disciplines who would like to share their work, research and experiences on European issues.
