Demirkol, Ö: Businessmen and the EU

Since the approval of Turkey s candidacy to the EU membership at Helsinki Council, Turkey has taken a long path in consolidation of its democracy. Yet, before 1998, demands of the civil actors for the realization of the Copenhagen Criteria were met with serious criticisms and even trials. In such a political climate Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen s Association (TÜS AD), an organization that represented the interests of Turkish conglomerates, pushed for further democratization. This was an important development given the fact that Turkish businessmen were keen on to keep relations with national authorities intact. This book is an attempt to analyze the reasons behind the change of the attitudes of the TÜS AD towards the state. It deals with the contributions of TÜS AD on Turkey-EU relations and the reasons behind with special reference to the influences Turkish political culture on Turkish businessmen. It traces the evolution of the relationship among the state and the businessmen in Turkey from a historical perspective. Consequently, it deals with continuities and ruptures in the relationship between the state and the businessmen in Turkey.