Zelal Basak Kizilkan-Kisacik Libros

In the recent Eastern enlargement, the EU established specific minority conditions for candidate countries' accession, using membership incentives to promote minority norms. This led to significant legislative changes enhancing minority protection in these states, changes that likely wouldn't have occurred without the EU's conditionality. All candidate countries undertook extensive transformations, aligning their human rights practices with European standards. Turkey, granted candidate status at the Helsinki Summit in 1999, became a focal point for the EU’s minority conditionality. The reform process in Turkey regarding minority rights gained momentum, resulting in advancements in linguistic, property, and religious rights for minority groups, aligning with EU norms. However, the reform process has faced challenges, marked by inconsistencies and interruptions. The Europeanization of minority norms in Turkey has not been a linear journey, raising questions about the varying dynamics influencing the pace and extent of reforms. This study examines the internal and external factors affecting this variation, focusing on the role of the EU’s norms and conditionality. It seeks to determine whether these factors account for continuity and change in Turkey's domestic reforms on minority protection, contributing to academic discussions on the Europeanization of candidate countries and policy convergence.