The European Parliament has adopted a report filled with sharp criticism of Turkey, urging Ankara to fully comply with binding rulings from the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and warning that the country’s authoritarian drift is straining already-frozen EU accession talks, BBC Turkish edition reported.
The 27-page report, written by Spanish MEP Nacho Sánchez Amor, passed with 367 votes in favor, 74 against and 188 abstentions during a weekly plenary session in Strasbourg, France, on Wednesday. Following its approval, the report will be forwarded to the European Council, the European Commission and the Turkish government.
The report pointed to Turkey’s refusal to implement ECtHR rulings in the cases of jailed philanthropist Osman Kavala and Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtaş while calling on the European Commission and member states to “use all diplomatic tools” to ensure compliance and to consider tying EU financial assistance to progress on compliance with the ECtHR decisions by Turkey.
Both Kavala and Demirtaş, who have been behind bars for years on what many call political charges, have not been released from prison despite ECtHR rulings in their favor.
The non-implementation of the rulings in Kavala’s case prompted the Council of Europe’s (CoE) Committee of Ministers to launch an infringement procedure against Turkey in February 2022 that is still ongoing.
“Respecting the binding decisions of the European Court of Human Rights is not optional. It is a legal obligation,” Amor said in remarks to the EP, which was sparsely attended during the debate held on Tuesday evening.
The report expressed deep concern over backsliding in democracy, fundamental rights and the rule of law in Turkey, and reiterated that “there are no shortcuts” to EU membership.
In this regard, it criticized the recent arrest of suspended Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, whose imprisonment was described as a “politically motivated move,” warning that Turkey is “increasingly sliding into an authoritarian model.”
İmamoğlu, the main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) presidential candidate for the next general election and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s strongest political rival, was detained on March 19 and arrested four days later. His removal from office has sparked the largest anti-government protests in Turkey since the 2013 Gezi Park demonstrations.
Many said his arrest on corruption charges was politically motivated aimed at sidelining him in the next presidential race.
Frozen talks and push for “a new relationship”
The report reaffirmed Turkey’s strategic importance for Europe but noted that negotiations for EU membership cannot resume under the current conditions. It reiterated the EP’s call for a new, structured partnership with Turkey in place of the stalled accession process, which has effectively been frozen since 2018.
Turkey was officially recognized as a candidate for full EU membership in December 1999, and accession negotiations began in December 2005. Since 2018, talks have been stalled due to ongoing violations of the rule of law and fundamental democratic rights in Turkey. Sixteen of the 35 negotiating chapters have been opened, but only one has been closed so far.
The document warned that “Turkey’s authoritarian turn” threatens all aspects of its relationship with the EU, including trade and security cooperation. Although the report acknowledged the pro-European sentiment among the Turkish public, it stated that “positive statements by Turkish authorities are not followed by concrete reforms.”
“The aspirations of Turkish citizens should not be ignored, and we must continue to engage with them, even if the accession process remains frozen,” the report said.
Visa issues and customs union modernization
The EP report also talked about growing difficulties Turkish citizens face in obtaining Schengen visas and urged EU states to allocate more resources to address delays. It called on both sides to intensify efforts to remove remaining administrative and technical barriers.
Frustration with the Schengen process has grown in Turkey amid rising rejection rates and long delays.
Nearly 200,000 Turkish applicants were denied Schengen visas in 2023, according to EU data, with a rejection rate of 16.1 percent.
The Turkish government has urged the EU to ease restrictions and revive stalled visa liberalization talks.
On the customs union, the EP report expressed conditional support for modernization talks but noted that any update must be tied to improvements in human rights, adherence to international law and good neighborly relations.
The EU-Turkey customs union entered into force in 1995 but is limited to industrial goods and processed agricultural products.
A modernized customs union would grant Turkey greater access to the EU’s services and public procurement markets, boosting exports and attracting investment. Sectors such as technology, finance and agriculture stand to benefit significantly from more comprehensive trade relations.
Praise for peace talks with PKK
In a rare positive note, the report welcomed ongoing efforts to end the decades-long conflict with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). It commended a call by imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan for his Kurdish militant group to lay down its arms and disband, in a landmark declaration read out in İstanbul in February, framing it as a historic and long-overdue step.
The document also praised the role played by far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli in launching the dialogue with the PKK last year, despite his earlier hardline stance toward Kurdish political actors.
Founded by Öcalan in 1978, the PKK has led a bloody war in Turkey’s southeast since 1984. The group has been designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies.
Cyprus and diplomatic tensions
The EP report also strongly criticized Turkey’s continued advocacy for a two-state solution in Cyprus, calling it “unacceptable.” It reaffirmed support for a bizonal, bicommunal federation as the only viable solution and insisted that Turkey’s recognition of the Republic of Cyprus is a prerequisite for any progress in EU relations.
Turkey does not recognize the Republic of Cyprus, an EU member, and maintains diplomatic relations only with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC), a breakaway state recognized solely by Ankara.
The island has been divided since 1974, when Turkey intervened following a Greece-backed coup. The KKTC was established in 1983.