Evaluation Note / Nilgün Arısan Eralp

As they generally say for football, currently the process of up upgrading customs union between Turkey and the European Union (EU) is not only about upgrading customs union. Although the initial motive was rather technical and economic, currently upgrading the customs union is either being regarded as a panacea that would take the Turkey-EU relations out of the current impasse they are in or suspension of which is thought as a punishment for Turkey that moves away from EU norms and values.

The talks to upgrade the customs union have started in 2014 with the initiative of the European Commission, based on an evaluation report by the World Bank which was assigned to it by the Commission itself.

You may read evaluation note from here.