Environmental policy adoption in the EU context : adoption of the EU SEA directive in Turkey

Although there are a growing number of studies in the environmental field of Europeanisation, more academic inquiry is needed to assess the success of environmental policy adoption, especially within certain accession countries where EU policy implications seem particularly challenging. This study aims to investigate the adoption of an EU environmental policy instrument, the EU Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Directive, within one such accession country, Turkey. For this purpose, a theoretical framework based on Europeanisation and policy transfer is applied to Turkey's adoption of the EU SEA Directive and the consequences are assessed through empirical research. The EU SEA Directive places great emphasis on the governance modes such as transparent decision-making and public participation with domestic policy-makers in its concern and drive to promote sustainable development. Adoption of the SEA Directive implies new governance modes for Turkey's institutional settings, especially the country's political and administrative institutions. The research shows that the discourse of 'Europeanization' helped empower actors seeking to drive through the SEA Directive, until the accession process started to falter; and that there remain questions about whether SEA, on its own, proved able to influence Turkey's approach to democracy or governance in the environmental sphere.