The European Union in general and the European Commission in particular are
characterised by supranational governance. The enlargement policy gives the Commission
the opportunity to export and promote supranational norms and define the boundaries of
Europe as a supranational polity through the conditionality of membership and intensive
contact with the candidate countries. This article analyses the discourses of the
Commission on Turkey and gives us insights into how well Turkey fits the supranational
model in the eyes of Commission officials. It demonstrates how the boundaries of
supranationalism are set and even challenged by the prospects of Turkey’s accession
