Contribution of Europeanization Process to Turkey; Analyzing the Civil Society

Abstract: The crucial role that civil society could play in promoting democratization resulted in the active support of civil society organizations (CSOs) in states in a transition stage toward democracy. The EU is an active actor which provides financial and legal support for the development of strong civil society institutions and transforming the states. As the EU- Turkey relations have been improving since 1990s and the prospect of Turkey’s EU membership became increasingly realistic, EU interest in Turkish civil society rose. The lack of a vibrant civil society in Turkey was viewed as one of the main reasons for Turkey’s weak democratic consolidation. In this study, the past and present of Turkish civil society and the Europeanization process will be explored, and the role of the EU in influencing developments by political conditionality will be assessed and the role of civil society in internalization of Europeanization and social learning will also be considered. Finally, the applicability of EU conditionality and social learning models in studying the EU impact on Turkish civil society and thus, on democracy will be attempted.