rights situation and the minorities of Turkey . Most importantly , the decision declared that “ the dispute between Turkey and one Member State of Community , and also the situation in Cyprus ” have negative effects on the accession 12 .
Even though the EC rejected Turkish application , it decided to suggest measures to strengthen the EC-Turkey relations and to move forward towards the Customs Union . For this purpose , a cooperation package was suggested in 1990 to accomplish a Customs Union by 1995 13 . However , as with everything in that period until 1995 , this initiative was also vetoed by Greece . Meanwhile , on July 3 , 1990 , the Republic of Cyprus applied for full membership on behalf of the whole island 14 .
To bypass Greece ’ s negative impact on the enlargement process , the EU began using the principle of compromise – for each compromise made to Greece , the latter had to make compromises on other issues that the EU raised 15 . As a result , on 6 March 1995 , a “ package ” decision was made , according to which the Customs Union agreement with Turkey would be considered along with the accession negotiations with the Republic of Cyprus 16 . Due to the EU ’ s approach , Greece finally lifted its veto 17 . As a result , Turkey and the EU signed a Customs Union agreement on December 22 , 1995 18 . The lifting of the veto by Greece did not mean that the relations between Greece and Turkey were improving . In the second part of the 1990s , their relations became tense because of the crisis in Aegean – the Imia-Kardak crisis in 1996 – around some islets 19 and the Greek
12
Commission Opinion on Turkey ’ s Request for Accession to the Community ( 20 December 1989 ). ( 1989 ). https :// www . cvce . eu / content / publication / 2005 / 2 / 4 / 4cc1acf8- 06b2-40c5-bb1e-bb3d4860e7c1 / publishable _ en . pdf
13
Nas , Ç . & Özer Y ., Turkey and EU Integration : Achievements and Obstacles , ( Taylor & Francis , 2017 )
14
Sertoğlu K . & Öztürk İ ., Application of Cyprus to the European Union and the Cyprus Problem , Emerging Markets Finance & Trade , 39 ( 6 ), ( 2003 ), 54 – 70 .
15
Suvarierol S ., The Cyprus Obstacle on Turkey ’ s Road to Membership in the European Union , Turkish Studies , 4 ( 1 ), ( 2003 ), 55 – 78
16
Cyprus and the Enlargement of the European Union . ( n . d .), last modified March 1 , 2021 , https :// www . europarl . europa . eu / enlargement / briefings / 1a3 _ en . htm
17
Grigoriadis I . N ., Greek and Greek Cypriot Views of Turkey ’ s Accession to the European Union : On the Endurance of a Spectacular Paradigmatic Shift . In Turkey-European Union Relations : Dilemmas , Opportunities , and Constraints . ( Lexington Books , 2008 ).
18
Decision No 1 / 95 of the EC-Turkey Association Council of 22 December 1995 on Implementing the Final Phase of the Customs Union ( 96 / 142 / EC ). ( 1995 ). https :// www . avrupa . info . tr / sites / default / files / 2016-09 / Custom _ Union _ des _ ENG _ 0 . pdf
19
Kramer H ., A changing Turkey : The challenge to Europe and the United States , ( Brookings Institute Press ., 2000 ), 169
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