Britannia Radio

Turkey and the EEC signed an Association Agreement in 1963 and then an Additional Protocol in 1970. The EEC was rather generous to Turkey in that it allowed Turkey to export its produce with reduced tariffs whereas Turkey was free to charge customs duties on items of EEC origin for many years. In addition to the section on tariffs, the additional protocol grants certain privileges to citizens of Turkey who wish to work in or travel to EEC countries. That is fairly standard procedure with all applicant countries. 

However, starting from the eighties, the EU started to renege on its side of the deal and Turkish citizens have individually started to take EEC countries to court for various reasons. On one occasion a Turkish family who flew from America to Turkey missed a connecting flight in Germany and had to spend an entire day at the airport because the authorities wouldn't let this family to stay at a hotel without a visa. On several other occasions truck drivers sued EEC/EU countries for introducing visa requirements after January 1, 1973. They have all won at the ECJ. 

The government of Turkey is twisting arms in Brussels by refusing to grant any favours, particularly accepting illegal immigrants of foreign nationality, typically Eritreans, Palestinians, etc., back to Turkey after they are caught at the other side of the Greco-Turkish border. 

As regards the Cyprus question, Turkey has tried very had to find a solution and persuaded the Turkish Cypriots to approve the Annan Plan for Cyprus. It was the Greek Cypriots who scuttled the UN intiative. 

What happened is that the EEC originally agreed to what was actually a surprisingly generous association agreement with Turkey. Then, starting in the eighties, the EU started to roll back the agreement. For example, the EU signs trade agreements with third countries, such as South Korea, without seeking Turkey's approval. Turkey ends up having to reduce tariffs for South Korean goods, whereas South Korea only needs to drop tariffs for goods from current EU members and not from Turkey. The pendulum has swung to the other extreme. 

The EU went so far in disregarding the terms of the past treaties that currently, Turks have less privileges in the EU (de facto) than most Latin American countries -- never mind Albania or Serbia. Stan himself lumped Turkey in the same basket with Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria but unlike the others in his list, Turkey has a series of contracts with the EU that need to be honoured. 

On the other hand, the EU's reutation in Turkey is in tatters right now partly because it is unwilling to honour treaties and partly because it is turning into an economic basketcase.