Turkey's relationship with the EU is long-standing and this relationship appears to never lead to the membership of Tıırkey to the EU. An important aspects of the EU is cconomic and it has been progressing towards a unique political structure, which cannot be captured completely by any organisational model of international economics, becoming a self-sufficient entity. In light of this, this article aims to seek evidence that Turkey's economy is dependent on the trade with the EU to a great extent, and not necessarily vice versa. The article draws on evidence from the detailed examination of trade relations between Turkey and the EU over a Iong period from both parties' perspectives. it is evident that the EU has been the largest and most important trading partner of Turkcy over the years. As such, it is suggested that Turkey cannot afford to be outside the enlargement process of the EU. Given that the long-standing relationship with Turkey, the EU also has shown willingness to improve its economic relations with Turkey as a useful trading partner.
Since the inception of Islamic banking in the late 1970s, it has grown rapidly all over the world, especially in the GCC where Islamic banking has rapidly become a substantial part of the financial system. The ongoing turbulence in global financial markets highlights the importance of financial stability for broader economic developments. It is argued that Islamic banking is a viable alternative to promote economic growth and is better-suited to absorb macro-financial shocks because structural advantages over the traditional banking. Given the recent political uprisings in the GCC, the financial stability in these countries has become a major concern not only for countries themselves but also for the rest of the world. This study aims to empirically analyse the financial strength of Islamic banks based on the data covering individual Islamic and commercial banks in the GCC, including Turkey. It reveals that the financial stability of the large commercial banks is more stable than the financial stability of the large Islamic banks. On the other hand, the financial stability of the small Islamic banks is more stable than the financial stability of the small Commercial banks. ; İslami bankacılık 1970 sonlarında başlamasına karşın, dünya genelinde, özellikle İslami bankacılığın finansal sistemin önemli bir parçası olduğu GCC ülkelerinde hızla büyümüştür. Küresel finansal piyasalarda devam eden türbülans, daha kapsamlı bir ekonomik gelişme için finansal istikrarın önemini ortaya koymaktadır. İslami bankacılığın, ekonomik büyümeyi sağlamada uygun bir alternative olduğu ve geleneksel bankacılığa göre yapısal avantajları sebebiyle makro-finansal şokları aşmada daha uygun olduğu iddia edilmektedir. GCC ülkelerindeki son dönemdeki politik yükselme koşullarında, bu ülkelerdeki finansal istikrar, sadece ülkelerin kendisi için değil fakat aynı zamanda dünya açısında temel kaygı odağı olmuştur. Bu çalışma, Türkiye dahil, GCC ülkelerinde İslami ve ticari bankacılık verilerine dayanarak İslami bankacılığı finansal gücünü ampirik olarak analiz etmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Çalışmada elde edilen temel sonuç, büyük ölçekli ticari bankaların finansal istikrarı, büyük ölçekli İslami bankaların finansal istikrarından daha güçlüdür. Diğer yandan, küçük ölçekli İslami bankaların finansal istikrarı, küçük ölçekli ticari bankaların finansal istikrarından daha güçlüdür, şeklindedir.
