Turkey: A Long Journey to Europe A Media Briefing

Once the center of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey as we know it today was established in 1923. In the 1930s, Turkey underwent a series of sweeping social, legal, and political reforms, including the abolition of Sharia (religious) law, the expansion of women's rights, and the introduction of secular government, secularized education, and the Latin alphabet. This briefing discusses Turkey's relationship with the European Union and its prospects for EU membership. The text expounds upon the various implications of Turkish accession.

• Historical Background
• Turkey: an important ally of the West
• The bid to join the EU
• Current issues
• Is Turkey European?
• Implications of Turkish Accession
• US support for accession
• Legal reforms
• Cultural change
• Economic growth in the EU and Turkey
• The cost of Turkey 's accession
• Turkish agriculture
• Change in the composition of EU institutions
• Turkish boundaries: energy and border control
• European security and defense

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