The EU maintains cooperation with Turkey, but rules out accession without substantial changes to democracyand justice.
The European Parliament, as the report on Turkey expresses deep concerns about democratic backsliding, pressure on justice system and violations of fundamental freedoms, while leaving open only the scope for cooperation in strategic sectors. The European side makes it clear that the path toward the EU is directly linked to specific changes in the rule of law, the protection of rights, and the restoration of trust.
“Turkey’s EU accession process cannot be restarted under the current circumstances,” stressed the rapporteur of the European Parliament’s report on Turkey, Nacho Sánchez Amor (Socialists, Spain), during a debate today in the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
Lack of willingness to comply
The report on Turkey, which was adopted in late April by the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, is expected to be put to a vote in the Plenary tomorrow, following the tabling of amendments over the past month.
The report’s rapporteur emphasized that for 10 years now, “we have been waiting for good news” from Turkey, but there has been a “complete lack of will” to comply with European principles. He stressed that “Turkey is now a truly authoritarian country” and asked “what business an authoritarian country could possibly have in the EU,” while noting that there is a civil society that desires democracy, not authoritarianism. He stressed that “we do not want to destroy their last hope,” but that the rule of law and human rights are prerequisites for EU membership. The accession processes “have rightly been frozen” and cannot be restarted without changes to the internal situation.
The report’s rapporteur condemned the detentions and imprisonments in Turkey, including that of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, as well as the intimidation of activists, emphasizing that these actions hinder any progress.
Greece and Cyprus are critical and integral pillars of the relationship
He stressed that, of course, it is necessary to build a functional framework for coexistence with Turkey, but in this effort, Greece and Cyprus are critical and integral pillars of the relationship. At the same time, he stressed that security and defense issues remain pivotal; however, it is clear that serious trust deficits and deviations from the principles of good neighborliness still exist, which must be addressed in a substantive manner.
For her part, the Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, stated that the report reflects serious concerns about developments in Turkey, which remains “a key partner, a NATO ally, and a candidate country.” She noted that, despite the strategic goal of accession, “there has been no tangible progress on the rule of law and fundamental freedoms,” and that, on the contrary, there has been a regression since 2018.
The Commissioner for Enlargement referred to the imprisonment of the mayor of Istanbul and the persecution of politicians, journalists, and businesspeople, as well as judicial developments affecting political pluralism, and emphasized that without progress on the rule of law, “there will be no possibility of resuming accession negotiations.”
At the same time, he noted that EU-Turkey relations are being revitalized in areas of mutual interest: management of migration flows (with approximately 2.3 million refugees in Turkey), trade (the EU’s fifth-largest trading partner), and the customs union.
Finally, he emphasized that the EU has a strategic interest in stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and in a mutually beneficial relationship with Turkey, taking into account the broader geopolitical balances with Greece and Cyprus.
