12 Colum. J. Eur. L. 199 (2005 – 2006)
Ian Ward, Professor of Law, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
Enlargement has emerged as a key dynamic in a Europe that retains the hope that it will, as the new century progresses, continue to integrate both more widely and more deeply. Besides obvious questions of financial impact, thus far, successive “waves” of enlargement have progressed in a relatively trouble-free fashion. The next prospective “wave” of enlargement, that which might include Turkey, presents an entirely new range of issues and potential tensions. No longer is it simply a matter of doing sums and assuring the presence of democratic institutions. The prospect of Turkish accession opens up larger questions of cultural identity and affinity; questions that must be asked, both within the European Union and within Turkey. The purpose of this Article is to consider these questions.
