Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
JOURNAL OF FOOD AGRICULTURE & ENVIRONMENT, cilt.8, sa.3-4, ss.1253-1258, 2010 (SCI-Expanded)
Turkey - EU relations date back to early 1960s when the agreement establishing an association between the European Economic Community and the Republic of Turkey was signed. Entered into force on December 1, 1964, the aim of the agreement was defined as realizing Turkey's full membership to the European Economic Community by establishing a customs union among the parties in three phases. After a customs union between the parties was enacted as of January 1, 1996, Turkey - EU relations were taken a step further at the Helsinki European Council on December 17, 1999, whereby Turkey was officially recognised as a candidate state on equal footings with the other candidate states. The membership perspective given to Turkey at the Helsinki summit paved the way for reforms in all spheres of socio-economic life including agriculture and rural development, by leading to the alignment of the Turkish legislation with that of the EU. In this paper the progress in Turkey's adoption of the acquis on agriculture and rural development will be monitored with reference to basic documents such as national programmes, multi-annual national development plans, negotiating framework document, Turkey's programme for alignment with the acquis, regular reports and the like, among which Turkish national programme on adoption of the acquis of 2008 forming the main frame of the study.