Turkey as an EU member state: yes/no

negotiating its accession to the European Union (EU) as a member state

 following its application accede

 founding members

an associate member 

officially recognised as a candidate for full membership 

 must successfully complete negotiations with the European Commission 

the member states must unanimously agree on granting Turkey membership 

Turkey receives payments from the EU budget as pre-accession support

The problem of Turkey's membership of the EU is compounded by conflicting views as to what the
EU should ultimately become

to officially recognise it as a candidate

The prospect of Turkish entry sparks vivid debate in Europe

populous country

to provoke restraint among certain member states

an ally that the EU can’t overlook

the position of an intermediary

be a peaceful buffer zone

The Action Plan aims at bringing order in the migratory flows and stemming the influx of irregular
migration

hosting the highest number of refugees

to address a crisis

lead to tensions and conflict

might hinder further EU cooperation

to draw the line somewhere

 key strategic partner on issues such as migration, security, counter-terrorism, and the economy

has been backsliding in the areas of democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights

 seeing an unprecedented and continuously increasing influx of people seeking refuge

relations were overshadowed in the 1980s by the aftermath of the military coup

 find ourselves in a similarly unpromising situation

the relationship showed resilience against interruptions

striking a balance between freedom and security

shies away from opening the negotiation 

 launch negotiations