With or Without the EU: Europeanisation of Asylum and Competition Policies in Turkey

Abstract

Despite growing pessimism in Turkey regarding EU membership negotiations, domestic reforms in a number of policy areas such as asylum and competition policy have continued and have brought Turkish legislation closer to the European Union (EU) acquis. What explains the continuation of costly reforms in the absence of credible membership prospects in EU candidate countries? We argue for a model of Europeanisation that in addition to policymakers' cost–benefit calculations takes into account whether there is a policy misfit or a vacuum, the role of domestic social actors, and the influence of international institutions and transnational networks beyond the EU.

Keywords:

• Turkey
• Asylum Policy
• Competition Policy
• External Incentives
• Candidate Countries
• Policy Misfit
• Policy Vacuum
• Veto Players

Acknowledgements

Umut Aydin would like to acknowledge the financial support of Bogazici University Research Fund Project no. 09C301P and FONDECYT Project no. 11121357. We would like to thank Frank Schimmelfennig, Bahar Rumelili, Tanja Börzel and the anonymous reviewers and the editors of South European Society and Politics for their valuable comments, as well as to express our gratitude to all the officials and civil society representatives who have generously given us their time during our research.

Notes

[1] The law entitled ‘6458 Yabancılar ve Uluslararası Koruma Kanunu’ came into force with its publication in the Official Gazette on 11 April 2013. The text of the law can be downloaded at: http://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/main.aspx?home = http://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eskiler/2013/04/20130411.htm&main = http://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eskiler/2013/04/20130411.htm

[2] Uygulama Talimatı, İçişleri Bakanlığı Genelge No. 57, 22 June 2006.

[3] Council Directive, 2004/83/EC of 29 April 2004, OJ L304/12, 30.9.2004.

[4] For an exhaustive list of Turkish non-governmental organisations (NGOs) dealing with asylum and their specific areas of specialisation, as well as an analysis of their transnational links, see Yılmaz (2012, pp. 64–68).

[5] The Platform is composed of the Turkish Branch of the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly (Helsinki Yurttaşlar Derneği), the Human Rights Association (İnsan Hakları Derneği), the Human Rights Agenda Association (İnsan Hakları Gündemi Derneği), Mülteci-Der and Amnesty International Turkish Branch. Their website is: http://www.multecihaklari.org/

[6] For instance, the government adopted a decree in August 2011 bringing all independent regulatory authorities, including the TCA, under the financial and administrative supervision of their related ministers, which raises concern about their independence. It is too early to judge whether and how this has impacted on the TCA.

[7] The International Competition Network was founded in 2001 as a transnational and virtual network of competition policy authorities under the leadership of the United States and the EU. It aims to build consensus and convergence towards global competition policy principles among its membership, which currently consist of 123 national and regional competition agencies from 108 jurisdictions.