Turkey

An associate member since 1963, Turkey signed a Customs Union Agreement with the EU in 1995 and, in 1999, at the Helsinki European Council, was granted candidate status. The European Council of December 2004 decided to start accession negotiations, under certain terms and conditions, as it was deemed that Turkey sufficiently met the Copenhagen political criteria, which is a precondition for the start of negotiations. The accession negotiations started on 3.10.2005, on the basis of the Negotiating Framework, which includes the criteria for assessing the progress made, namely the Copenhagen criteria, the maintenance of good neighborly relations, the support of efforts to resolve it the Cyprus issue, the normalization of relations with the Republic of Cyprus and the full and non-discriminatory implementation of the Additional Protocol to the Ankara Agreement of 1963 (Protocol extending the EU-Turkey Customs Union to the 10 new EU Member States of the 2004 Enlargement).

The General Affairs Council (GAC) of December 2006 decided not to open 8 Chapters and not to close any of the 35 Negotiating Chapters, temporarily, until Turkey applies, as required, the Customs Union to all the EU member States, including the Republic of Cyprus.

In 2015, due to the ongoing refugee / migration crisis, the Conclusions of the European Council (EC) on 15.10.2015, supported, on one hand, the need to reduce the refugee / migration flows to the EU, as an issue that affects the development of Euro-Turkish relations, and, on the other hand, the need to reactivate Turkey's accession negotiations, in line with the Negotiating Framework and the relevant Council Conclusions. In the context of the EU - Turkey cooperation, the Joint Declaration of 18 March 2016 agreed to address the immigration / refugee crisis.

Despite the EU's efforts, Turkey's course has continued to deviate from the objective of converging with the EU acquis. The June 2018 General Affairs Council noted that the EU-Turkey accession negotiations have been virtually inactive due to Turkey's continued deviation from the principles, values and acquis of the Union (Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights, Good Neighborly Relations and Regional Cooperation). It was therefore decided that the opening or closing of other negotiation chapters could not be considered and no further work could be done on the modernization of the EU-Turkey Customs Union. It is noted that 16 of the 35 Chapters were open for negotiations, while only the negotiation of Chapter 25 (Science and Research) was temporarily completed. This decision was reiterated by the General Affairs Council of June 2019.

In the light of the illegal Turkish drilling in the Eastern Mediterranean, the European Council, in July 2019, decided: a) to suspend, until further notice, the EU-Turkey Association Council, b) to suspend, until further notice, further meetings on the five (5) institutionalized High Level Dialogues, (c) to suspend negotiations on a "EU - Turkey Comprehensive Aviation Agreement", (d) to cut EU pre - accession financial assistance to Turkey for the year 2020, and called on the European Investment Bank to review its lending activities in relation to Turkey. Due to the continuing delinquent behavior of Ankara in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Turkish military intervention in Syria, the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC), on 14.10.2019, decided: a) to establish a regime of restrictive measures against natural and legal entities involved in the illegal activities of the Turkish mining activity in the Eastern Mediterranean, and (b) to coordinate EU policies on arms exports to Turkey.

The EU Report on Turkey, published on 6.10.2020, assessed Turkey's performance negatively, observing from severe setbacks to total stagnation in key areas of the EU acquis, namely rule of law, fundamental freedoms, democratic institutions, justice, human rights, civil society, public administration reforms, fight against corruption. The report referred to, i.a., the signing of a Memorandum between Turkey and the Government of National Accord of Libya on the delimitation of maritime zones (November 2019), the artificial refugee / migration crisis at the borders of Evros (February 2020), the continuing delinquent behavior of Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean, the actions of Turkey against sovereign Greece and Cyprus, both EU Member States, the conversion of the Hagia Sophia museum into a mosque and the subsequent decision to abolish the museum regime of the Monastery of Chora, and the development of military forces in Libya.

The European Council of 1-2.10.2020 called on Turkey to show continuous and consistent constructive behavior in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, in order to enable the launch of a positive EU-Turkey political agenda, with an emphasis on modernizing the customs union and facilitating trade, facilitating people-to-people contacts, engaging in high-level dialogues, and ongoing cooperation on migration issues, in accordance with the 2016 EU-Turkey Declaration. On the other hand, in case of renewd unilateral actions or challenges in violation of international law, the EC stated that the EU, in order to defend its interests and the interests of its Member States, will use all the means and options at its disposal, including those in Articles 29 TEU and 215 TFEU.

In accordance with the EC Conclusions of 10-11.12.2020, the HR / VP and the European Commission circulated a Report, on 20.3.2021, on the state of play in the EU-Turkey political, economic and trade relations, as well as on the instruments and options for the next steps. In this regard, the European observations on Turkey's regressive behavior in relation to important areas with regard to the EU acquis were reiterated. In the spirit of the above, the 27 Leaders in their Declaration, on 25.3.2021, reaffirmed their readiness to proceed with launching a positive agenda in a gradual, proportionate and reversible manner, only if the de-escalation is maintained and Turkey maintains a constructive stance. At the same time, however, they reiterated their readiness to take action in the event of Turkey's return to unconstructive behavior. In addition, they deplored the recent negative developments in the areas of Rule of Law and Human Rights, which constitute an integral part of the Euro-Turkish relations. They supported the need to strengthen cooperation on migration issues, in the context of full implementation and without discrimination of the EU-Turkey Joint Declaration 2016. Regarding the Cyprus issue, the EU reaffirmed its commitment in the context of the relevant UNSC decisions. Finally, the EU reaffirmed its commitment to continue European funding to support refugees and host communities in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon.

The European Council Conclusions of 24.6.2021 welcomed the recent de-escalation in the Eastern Mediterranean, emphasizing that it should be maintained, according to the European Council Declaration of 25 March 2021, which provides for the use of all the means and options available to the EU in case of recurrence of illegal Turkish actions. Under this condition, the EU has reiterated its readiness to work with Turkey, in a gradual, proportionate and reversible manner, to strengthen cooperation in various areas of common interest. The EU has reiterated its commitment to a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus issue on the basis of a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with political equality, in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions, its active involvement in supporting the settlement process, as well as the importance the Union attaches to the status of the enclave of Varos. Moreover, the EC reiterated the need to address the existing difficulties in the implementation of the Customs Union in order to ensure its effective implementation vis a vis all Member States. Finally, the Commission has been invited to submit proposals for continuing funding for refugees in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and other places in the region.