... In my contribution I will tell in short the long story how Austria approached the European Union (EU). For other EU applicants this may not serve as a model blueprint, but it shows the particular problems a country has to tackle with when engaging to become a member of Europe's mightiest economic powers. Austria's roads to Europe were by no means straight. In contrast, we made many roundabouts and sidesteps. This, however, is not a problem unique to Austria. The double-trackedness of European integration in the sixties (EC versus EFTA integration) has caused enormous frictions and ineffiencies which resulted in a sub-optimal growth process in Europe and unused welfare potentials. In the case of Austria one can demonstrate that the splitting of integration in Europe was not very helpful for Austria's economic development. (excerpt) / Series: EI Working Papers / Europainstitut

The aim of this thesis is to observe the implementation of the Copenhagen criteria in the context of &lsquo / respect for and protection of minority rights&rsquo / during the accession process of Slovakia. EU&rsquo / s membership conditionality enforces candidate countries to improve the situation of minority groups within their borders. The main motivation of the EU in this process is to eliminate the reasons which cause ethnic conflicts in the continent and to prevent the escalation of minority-related problems into the EU territory. Slovakia which experienced a difficult accession process depending on the fulfilment of political criterion, constitutes an important case for the evaluation of minority clause. This thesis examines minority issue in a historical framework and specifically investigates the implementation of the Copenhagen criteria&rsquo / s minority clause in the EU&rsquo / s enlargement process. EU&rsquo / s conditionality which is its main tool in the enlargement, lacks clear-cut norms and standards regarding minority rights. Furthermore, there is a duality between internal and external policies of the Union on the issue of minority rights. In addition to this duality, the approach of the Union towards minority issue acquires a different character in different accession processes. This thesis argues that the lack of well-defined norms and standards, the duality between EU&rsquo / s internal and external minority policies and changing approaches of the Union in different accession processes complicate the implementation and the monitoring of minority clause giving rise to allegations of double standards in the enlargement process.

This thesis analyzes the anti-corruption policy in the European Union. Within this framework corruption as a global phenomenon and actions taken by other international organisations is studied as well. Furthermore, this thesis seeks to answer whether the accession process to the European Union has influenced the anti-corruption strategy in Turkey or not. Finally, it identifies shortcomings in the current reform process in Turkey and tries to develop recommendations accordingly.

The presented master thesis focuses on the topical issue of Croatian Accession to the European Union that took a place on July 1, 2013. Croatia became the twenty-eighth member in the time of adverse economic situation in the old continent, especially in the monetary union -- Eurozone, which problems spread all over the Union. The aim of this thesis is to describe the course of the process and evaluate and analyze possible impacts and benefits for both parties. The thesis is divided into three main chapters. The first chapter informs about political background of the state and economical development. The second chapter describes the process itself and its aspects, whereas in the third chapter the author evaluates possible impacts and benefits of the accession.

The volume deals with the analysis of the relationship of the two dominant theoretical approaches of European integration - supranational and intergovernmental - towards the EU enlargement policy on the example of the accession process of Montenegro. The research goes into depth by analysing not the complex accession process as such, but the relations and attention of various European institutions and the EU member states to the particular and deliberately selected negotiation chapters of the Acquis Communautaire. The main aim of the thesis is to find out to what extent and whether at all does the behaviour of the EU institutions and its member states by the accession process correspond with the internal structure of the EU policies and competences stipulated in the EU treaties. The thesis succeeded to show that there is no reason to believe that the activities of the supranational institutions of the EU - the Commission and the Parliament - are dominant by chapter which is closely connected to the exclusive competence of the EU or that they would pay any special attention to this chapter. Similarly, there is no explicit proof that the activities of the incumbent EU member states are dominant by chapter which is closely connected to the shared competence of the EU or that they would pay any...

Since the 1990&rsquo / s, interest in the European Union (EU) gender equality policies has increased among feminist scholars and activists. In this context, studies focusing on equal pay for work of equal value, equal treatment in education, and access to employment, among others have been undertaken and different dimensions of the EU gender equality policies have been a subject of much debate. This thesis is an effort to critically review the potential of these policies vis-&agrave / -vis their capacity to bring about gender equality in the EU Member States and examine their implications for Turkey as a candidate country. The fundamental argument that underlines this thesis is that the EU gender equality regime, which is mainly concerned with equality in the work place, falls short of effectively responding to the complexities of gender inequality within diverse women&rsquo / s experiences and socioeconomic settings. In Turkey, women&rsquo / s organizations have used the EU accession process to demand major legislative reforms. As a result, it can be said that &lsquo / equality before law&rsquo / is now more or less achieved in Turkey. However, in practice, gender inequality is a pervasive problem in all spheres of life. In the area of employment serious gender v pay gaps exist and unemployment rate of Turkish women is on the rise. Women also face discrimination in other areas of concern such as in access to education and political participation and they encounter multiple forms of violence in both public and private spheres of life. In view of the diversities of women&rsquo / s experiences both in member as well as candidate countries of the EU, the thesis concludes that if the EU is to be a viable project in truly bringing about gender equality it needs to move beyond economics to include social goals within its core policies as well.

This thesis analyzes EU&#039 / s education and training policy together with EU-Turkey relations and Turkey&#039 / s path in candidacy regarding the education and training policy. Treaty base of the European Union Education and Training Policy together with is chronological development and its institutions of ET policy, the benchmarks in education and training, strategic objectives and European Union and Education Youth Programmes will be discussed. Moreover, since Helsinki, Turkey&#039 / s legislative regulations and adaptations, institutional arrangement and changes, national and regional projects/campaign in line with the EU&#039 / s education objectives, programmes and funds benefitted will be examined with a case study, this thesis will be trace the impact of education and training action programmes on education in Turkey within the context of impact on personal and professional development, impact on institutional cooperation and capacity building.

In this study, administrative reform in the EU accession process was analysed with reference to the cases of Hungary and Turkey. The main goal of this study is to show that both objective (economy) and subjective (politics) factors are important and acceding countries to have room to manoeuvre in the context of the social-liberal framework of the EU. To this end, necessary causality between neoliberal administrative reform and EU accession, and determinism in the enlargement process, which leaves no room to manoeuvre for candidate countries, are denied. In conclusion, it is seen that since there is no public administration model, candidate countries are free to determine the content of the administrative reforms within the framework of general principles set by the EU. Moreover, it is found that the EU accession process is closely related to modernisation of the public administration system in the candidate countries and administrative reform has been overlapped and equalized to EU accession. Finally, it is understood that administrative reform with its extensive content, caused centralisation.

This thesis analyzes the impact of Europeanization on domestic policy structures in states which are not European Union (EU) members within the framework of asylum and refugee policies. It focuses on the influence of Europeanization during Turkey&amp / #8217 / s pre-accession process to the EU after 1999. This thesis has three main goals. The first one is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the dynamics behind Europeanization of asylum and refugee policies. The second goal is to highlight the institutional, administrative and ideational environment in which these policies take place. Finally, it aims to analyze how the dynamics of European integration through legislative harmonization creates systemic transformation in domestic governance systems in the EU candidate countries in their pre-accession process.

Par l’élaboration du Partenariat oriental en 2009, l’Union européenne (Union) cherche à renforcer ses relations avec les pays du Caucase du Sud. Son objectif est de créer un cadre juridique nouveau afin de susciter un saut qualitatif d’une partie de la politique européenne de voisinage (PEV), lancée en 2003 en direction des pays voisins. Il s’agit d’aboutir à un niveau de relations à mi-chemin entre l’association et l’adhésion à l’Union. Il est notamment prévu une multitude d’instruments normatifs et opérationnels, des institutions propres qui s’ajoutent à celles de l’Union et l’efficacité repose sur des principes juridiques fondamentaux que sont : la conditionnalité, la différenciation, l’appropriation commune et la responsabilité mutuelle. Cette thèse a pour finalité d’étudier de quelle manière, à travers le Partenariat oriental, l’Union améliore son influence normative auprès des pays du Caucase du Sud et de voir comment s’opère l’incorporation de l’acquis communautaire de l’Union dans le droit respectif de ces pays. / By elaborating the « Eastern Partnership » in 2009 in Prague, the European Union (EU) seeks to strengthen its relations with the countries of the South Caucasus. Its objective is to create a new legal framework to stimulate a qualitative leap of part of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), launched in 2003 to neighboring countries. This is to achieve a level halfway relations between the association and the membership of the Union. This shall include a multitude of normative and operational instruments, institutions own in addition to those of the Union and effectiveness is based on fundamental legal principles are: conditionality, differentiation and joint ownership mutual accountability. This thesis aims to explore how, through the Eastern Partnership, the EU improves its normative influence with the South Caucasus countries and see how operates the incorporation of the acquis communautaire of the Union in the respective right of these countries.