Turkey was now no longer welcome to join the EU after its “continued deterioration of democratic standards”, members of the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee said on April 9.
The committee approved a report pointing particularly to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s politically-motivated removal from office of Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, his main political rival.
MEPs also condemned Erdoğan’s government for its sustained targeting of opposition parties and political figures.
They expressed “extreme concern” over İmamoğlu’s arrest, warning the country was now veering towards “a fully authoritarian model”, with “serious restrictions on fundamental freedoms – in particular, the freedoms of expression and assembly.”
The foreign affairs committee concluded Turkey’s EU accession process could not be resumed, by a vote of 48 votes in favour, 23 abstentions, and only 3 against.
The Turkish government had failed to take meaningful steps to address the country’s long-standing democratic deficiencies, the report said.
It also noted a growing sentiment within the EU favouring “a different framework for the relationship”, in place of an accession process.
Abandoning hopes of Turkish accession was “despite the democratic and pro-European aspirations of a significant portion of Turkish society,” the MEPs acknowledged.
MEPs stressed, though, that “geopolitical and strategic imperatives cannot justify shortcuts in the accession process that compromise democratic principles”.
“We repeatedly hear from Turkish authorities about their supposed commitment to EU membership and the importance of reviving the process for reasons of security and geopolitics – but they are mistaken”, argued Nacho Sánchez Amor, the report’s rapporteur and a Socialists and Democrats MEP from Spain.
“Membership is about democracy. The more they edge towards authoritarianism – as demonstrated by Ekrem İmamoğlu’s recent arrest – the further they drift from EU membership,” he said.
The report reiterated that EU accession depended on fulfilling strict criteria, including stable institutions that uphold democracy, the rule of law, human rights, and both respect for and protection of minorities.
Other criteria included good neighbourly relations, complying with international law, and aligning with the EU’s common foreign and security policy.
“These are absolute criteria,” the report concluded, “not subjects for transactional strategic considerations or negotiation”.
The entire European Parliament will hold a final vote on the report, in a plenary session in early May.
My report on #Türkiye has been approved by a large majority at @EP_ForeignAff. Accession process will remain on ice hoping one day 🇹🇷 authorities will correspond its society's strong 🇪🇺 aspirations instead of smashing them by the current authoritarian drift.
Final vote: 7-8 May. pic.twitter.com/99DG8o6eVZ
— Nacho Sánchez Amor (@NachoSAmor) April 9, 2025
