The ‘Norway Model’ for a Privileged Partnership Between the EU and Turkey

Abstract

Even though no one has officially declared the halt of Turkey’s EU accession process, Ankara’s membership negotiations have effectively been stalled over the past few years. Neither Brussels nor Ankara wants a complete collapse of bilateral ties which are strong, multifaceted and complex as well as beneficial for both Turkey and the EU. In fact, as suggested by some observers, Turkey and the EU are not stuck with full membership as the only option going forward. The two sides can modify the relationship toward building a privileged partnership based upon one of the external differentiated integration models. The “Norway model” of integration with the EU might be a feasible option for Turkey and the EU considering the fact that the two sides have already come to an agreement to upgrade their Customs Union. This paper analyses the Norway model for an alternative path to the Turkish-EU relations comparing the model with the status quo as well as with the proposed scenarios for the updated Customs Union by the European Commission.