Research Papers

In an attempt to assess the Europeanisation impact on domestic-level asylum and migration policy-making processes of accession countries, this paper focuses on the policy of irregular migration in Turkey. Since the late 1990s, Turkey has been a key player of the European migration system as a country of origin, transition and destination for irregular migration. This paper suggests the increasing involvement of the European Union (EU) as a key explanatory factor of the emerging trend in Europe of formulating, regulating and converging policies of irregular migration that are in accordance with international human rights standards. Provided that Turkey has strengthened its institutional linkages with the EU since the declaration of its candidacy status in 1999, the proposed paper initially presents a multi-dimensional evaluation of Turkey’s nascent policy towards irregular migration and examines the role of EU in shaping this policy. Turkey’s adjustment to the EU acquis in the fields of migration and asylum became part of EU membership conditionality since the start of accession talks in 2005. Given that a number of human rights-related issues have become closely monitored topics by the EU, the paper elaborates on a number of domestic institutional and legal arrangements that have transformed Turkey’s approach to irregular migration from a non-existent policy to a legislative framework in 2012. The proposed paper also draws particular attention to the waves of migratory influxes to Europe via Turkey as a result of recent political and social upheavals in the Middle East and investigates Turkey’s policy responses and interaction with the EU over these rapid shifts. Incorporating the findings of semi-structured interviews conducted with officials from the EU Commission, EU Ministry of Turkey and fifteen asylum seekers currently residing in Turkey, this paper finally highlights the necessity of establishing an effective system of burden-sharing between Turkey and the EU.