Feeling “European” and European identity: Public Perceptions in Turkey – EU Relations

Abstract

The debate over the emergence of a European identity and its  reconciliation with the different national identities of the European citizens has raised numerous questions and a range of opinions and theories, especially during the last year.  In this context, the integration of Turkey  not only poses a series of challenges, but it has also  crucial consequences for the future of Europe and for shaping the European identity. By debating on Turkey's membership, Europe debates also on its own identity. Starting from the existing theoretical background and using the empirical data available through the quantitative researches made over the recent years, this article brings forth a comparative analysis of the perceptions related to the European identity and to the integration of Turkey in the EU. How ”European” people feel, how Europeans perceives Turkey integration and how Turkish people see  the European Union are the main questions this article tries to give answers to. As methodology, this study is based on the official data of Eurobarometer. We chose for comparison data from Germany, France, Romania, Turkey, as well as the EU average, where available.