Turkey: Energy and Mining Policy

General Information on Turkey

Turkey is one of the World Bank Groups biggest upper middle-income partners with a population of approximately 80 million and a gross domestic product (GDP) of $799.54 billion. The population is made up of mostly Sunni Muslims and only a small percentage (0.2%) of other religions, there is also a significant Kurdish minority (18%) and other ethnic groups (7–12%). The country has a strategic geographical location, with borders with eight countries from Asia, Middle East, and Europe (OECD 2013). Half the Turkish population is below the age of 30, a high proportion of 15–29-year-olds are not in education, training, or employment, with significant majority of women unemployed.

Turkey has been a candidate for EU membership since 1999. The accession negotiations, which started in 2005, have prompted significant regulatory reforms albeit with slow progress, particularly in recent years due to political obstacles. While the European Union is Turkey’s biggest...