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Turkey’s EU accession process remains frozen due to democratic backsliding, despite the Mediterranean country’s strategic importance and cooperation on migration, MEPs said in their latest report.
Turkey’s EU accession process, which has been at a standstill since 2018, cannot be relaunched in the current circumstances, despite Ankara’s geopolitical and strategic importance, a European Parliament report says.
MEPs in Strasbourg approved the report on Wednesday, with 367 votes in favour, 74 against and 188 abstentions.
“The accession process is frozen. There is no progress,” Nacho Sánchez Amor, Spanish MEP (S&D/Spain) and rapporteur for the report on Turkey, told Euronews.
The arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the crackdown on anti-government demonstrations, and human rights violations were all pointed out as signs of democratic backsliding.
“The detention and harassment of … Imamoglu are probably the peak of this repressive trend”, Sánchez Amor said.
However, the report noted that Ankara remains a strategic partner of the bloc and a key NATO ally, particularly for its growing influence in Ukraine, the Black Sea and the Middle East.
During a debate in the European Parliament, the European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos stressed the need to deepen cooperation with Turkey in areas of mutual strategic interest such as climate, energy security and trade.
“The 2016 EU-Turkey declaration on migration continues to deliver results. Irregular arrivals from Turkey to the EU have decreased by 33 percent this year compared to the same period last year,” Kos said.
MEPs also criticised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent visit to the occupied areas of Cyprus, recognised only by Ankara. The island has been divided since the Turkish invasion in 1974, while the Republic of Cyprus is a full-fledged member of the EU.
While Sánchez Amor believes the door to Turkey joining the bloc has not been closed for good, he pointed out that “there are no shortcuts to EU membership”.
“We need to make a distinction between the country and its current leaders. It’s true that under the AKP regime, it’s impossible to move forward because there is no political will to advance democratic values,” he said.
The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded strongly to the European Parliament’s decision not to restart EU accession talks with Turkey.
According to the ministry, the report adopted by the European Parliament includes “distorted, prejudiced and baseless allegations.”
“The 2023-2024 Türkiye Report, adopted today (Wednesday) by the European Parliament’s (EP) Plenary Session, contains distorted, prejudiced and baseless allegations against Turkiye,” read the announcement.
Furthermore, the Turkish Foreign Ministry accused the European Parliament of providing “propaganda grounds for terrorist organizations.”
“We reject the unfounded assessments of an institution that provides propaganda grounds for terrorist organizations and the groups that have made anti-Türkiye sentiments their raison d’être, on the political dynamics in our country, our foreign policy and the visit of our President to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,” the statement continued.
Moreover, it added that Turkey expects the European Parliament to change its stance and support the continuation of Turkey’s EU accession process.
