Impacts of Economic Reforms Envisaged by the EU on Turkey's Structure with Reference to the European Customs Union

Given European Union's salient position in the realm of international economy, what impact Turkey's membership in the European Customs Union has had on the country's economic structure? With the establishment of the republic in 1923, Turkey as the only secular democracy in the Muslim World has consistently tried to present itself as part of the Western world. In this relation, Ankara began its close economic ties with the European Economic Community in 1963 by signing an agreement and deepened such relations in 1995 with joining in the European Customs Union. The European Customs Union Pact as the symbol of Turkey's integration with the European Union is the most important economic integration agreement in Turkey's history, which has brought about considerable positive repercussions for the country's economic sectors. This agreement, along with Turgut Ozal's economic policies in the 1980s, has accelerated Turkish economic growth.