THE NORMATIVE STRUCTURE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION:

A CONSTRUCTIVIST ANALYSIS

Abstract

This article discusses the normative structure of the European Union (EU) in line with the constructivist framework. This approach drifts from realism and studies international relations under a socially constructed context (norms, culture). It is divided into three sections. The first section elucidates the contours of a common European identity, which has come into being under the auspices of the EU. The penultimate section explains the normative structure of the EU by focusing on the membership negotiations it has had with Turkey, and how these talks between Ankara and Brussels, ultimately, broke down under the pressures exerted by this structure. The last section explores the norms promoted by the EU, and the role elitist rhetoric has played in the process of Europeanization.