European Union Education Policies and Their Effects on Turkish Education System

Abstract

Education is considered a fundamental element for the development and social progress of a country. For this reason, countries constantly review their education systems and endeavor to improve them. The European Union has an important role in developing the education systems of the member countries and harmonizing them with the European Union standards. Turkey has started negotiations with the European Union and has felt the impact of European Union education policies. The European Union is a structure that aims to promote cooperation between member states by developing common policies in the field of education. The historical development of the European Union's education policies has been shaped by the European integration process.  The educational policies of the European Union were first addressed within the framework of the cultural policies in the 1957 Treaties of Rome. These treaties emphasized the EU's goal of supporting cultural diversity and coordinating the cultural and educational policies of member states. Turkey, while cooperating with the European Union, considers its own educational needs and tries to implement these policies in accordance with its own educational system. In this study, firstly, the historical process of the relations between Turkey and the European Union and the development of the European Union's education policies are explained. The effects of the European Union's education policies on the Turkish education system are analyzed in terms of higher education, quality assurance in education, lifelong learning and adult education, vocational education and skills development, and language policies.