The EU membership process in Turkey, which has been stopped since 2018, cannot be relaunched in current circumstances, despite the geopolitical and strategic importance of Ankara, according to a report by the European Parliament.
The deputies of Strasbourg approved the report on Wednesday, with 367 votes in favor, 74 against and 188 abstentions.
“The membership process is frozen. There is no progress,” the Spanish EPP (S & D / Spain) and rapporteur for the report on Turkey told Euronews.
The arrest of the mayor of Istanbul Ekrem ̇maMoğlu, the repression of anti-government demonstrations and human rights violations have all been highlighted as signs of democratic decline.
“The detention and harassment of … ̇Mamoğlu are probably the peak of this repressive trend,” said Sánchez Amor.
Strategic partnership in place
However, the report noted that Ankara remains a strategic partner of the block and a key ally of NATO, in particular for its growing influence in Ukraine, in the Black Sea and in the Middle East.
During a debate in the European Parliament, the European Commissioner to enlarge Marta Kos underlined the need to deepen cooperation with Turkey in fields of mutual strategic interest such as climate, energy security and trade.
“The 2016 EU-Turkey Declaration on Migration continues to provide results. The irregular arrivals of Turkey to the EU decreased by 33% this year compared to the same period last year,” Kos said.
The deputies also criticized the recent visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the occupied areas of Cyprus, recognized only by Ankara. The island has been divided since the Turkish invasion in 1974, while the Republic of Cyprus is a full member of the EU.
While Sánchez Amor thinks that the door of Turkey joining the block was not closed for good, he stressed that “there is no shortcuts to the accession to the EU”.
“We must make a distinction between the country and its current leaders. It is true that under the AKP regime, it is impossible to move forward because there is no political will to advance democratic values,” he said.
“But there is a dynamic civil society which … wants to keep life in the hope that perhaps in the future, with other leaders, another country, in a different environment, it could be an opportunity for Turkey to re-engage with the European Union on the basis of membership,” added Sánchez Amor.
According to a report by the European Commission, the alignment of Turkey on common current and security policy of the EU fell 5% in 2024.
