East European Countries and Turkey vis-àvis the EU: A comparative analysis of commercial relations

2014-12
Akoğlu Şişman, Melda
As all East European Countries are, in one way or another, linked to the economy, institutions, and policies of the European Union, especially with respect to its present aim of neoliberal structuring of the European continent, the 2008 financial crisis severely affected the region both economically and socially. This paper analyzes whether the negative economic and social environment in Europe, stemming from the 2008 crisis, has enhanced cooperation by promoting trade among the selected ten countries in Eastern Europe including Turkey. It concludes that although the long-standing neoliberal policies of the European Union were a basic cause adversely affecting Eastern Europe by the financial crisis, this structural cause did not lead to increased cooperation by promoting intra-regional trade as an alternative to their traditional European markets. On the contrary, the European Union still maintains its dominant role in the commercial activities of these countries due to the uneven and combined development.

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Citation Formats
M. Akoğlu Şişman, “East European Countries and Turkey vis-àvis the EU: A comparative analysis of commercial relations,” ODTÜ Gelişme Dergisi, vol. 41, no. 3, pp. 415–439, 2014, Accessed: 00, 2020. [Online]. Available: http://www2.feas.metu.edu.tr/metusd/ojs/index.php/metusd/article/view/724.