2025 Commission report on Türkiye

Report on the 2025 Commission Report on Türkiye (A10-0106/2026)

This report, drawn up by the Committee on Foreign Affairs under rapporteur Nacho Sánchez Amor, assesses Türkiye's progress as an EU candidate country on the basis of the Commission's 2025 enlargement report. It concludes that the accession process cannot be resumed in the current circumstances, given the continued and deepening democratic backsliding in Türkiye, while calling for a closer strategic partnership beyond the frozen accession framework. The report was adopted by the committee on 15 April 2026 by 44 votes in favour, 10 against and 17 abstentions, and contains a motion for a European Parliament resolution.

State of the Accession Process

The report proposes that Parliament reaffirm that EU accession negotiations, effectively at a standstill since 2018, cannot be resumed in the absence of tangible progress on the rule of law and democratic standards. It acknowledges the pro-European aspirations of a significant part of Turkish society and takes note of recent calls by Turkish opposition figures for renewed engagement, while remaining sceptical of supporting such calls without a clear signal of genuine political will from the Turkish Government. The report stresses the merit-based and non-transactional nature of the accession process, which is contingent on fulfilment of the Copenhagen criteria, and invites the Turkish Government to move from rhetoric to concrete action.

Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights

The report expresses grave concern at the continuing erosion of the rule of law and judicial independence in Türkiye. It strongly condemns the arrest and detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, the dismissal and arrest of 28 elected opposition mayors, and the replacement of 11 of them with government-appointed trustees. It calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all arbitrarily detained individuals, including former HDP co-chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ and human rights defender Osman Kavala, and urges Türkiye to implement all judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. The report also deplores the intensifying prosecution of journalists, the shrinking space for civil society, ongoing violations of LGBTI+ rights, high levels of gender-based violence and femicide, and severe prison overcrowding. It calls on the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative to consider targeted restrictive measures under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime against Turkish officials responsible for serious human rights violations.

Socio-Economic Affairs, Sustainability and Regional Cooperation

The report welcomes Türkiye's macroeconomic stabilisation efforts and its removal from the FATF grey list, while noting that the erosion of the rule of law undermines investor confidence. It calls on Türkiye to implement its international anti-corruption obligations and to address persistent labour market challenges, including restrictions on trade union rights. On climate, the report deplores Türkiye's poor performance on emissions reduction and calls for a coal phase-out pathway, noting Türkiye's role as host of the 2026 UN Climate Change Conference. On migration, the report supports continued EU funding for refugees in Türkiye and calls for compliance with human rights standards in EU-funded removal centres. It strongly condemns Türkiye's continued military presence in northern Syria and calls for respect for Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

EU–Türkiye Relations and the Cyprus Question

The report reaffirms that Türkiye remains a country of strategic relevance and a NATO ally, and supports deepening cooperation in areas of mutual interest in a phased, proportionate and reversible manner, in line with the April 2024 European Council conclusions. It calls for the modernisation of the EU–Türkiye customs union, subject to strong conditionality on human rights, international law and good neighbourly relations, and for the extension of programmes such as roaming and Horizon Europe participation. The report reiterates its strong condemnation of Türkiye's violations of the sovereignty and sovereign rights of EU Member States, including Greece and Cyprus, and calls for a resumption of UN-led reunification negotiations on Cyprus on the basis of a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation. It urges Türkiye to abandon its proposal for a two-state solution and to reverse its illegal actions in Varosha. The report also expresses concern at Türkiye's record-low alignment with the EU's common foreign and security policy, its close ties with Russia and Iran, and its application for BRICS+ membership, which it considers fundamentally incompatible with the EU accession process.

This summary was AI-generated and human-reviewed.