EU Ready to Boost Links to Turkey But Accession Still Taboo

Sofia Gerace and Selcan Hacaoglu
·2 min read
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(Bloomberg) -- Foreign ministers of the European Union signaled their readiness to work for closer ties with Turkey, while resisting pressure from Ankara to join the bloc.

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“We are convinced that there is a reciprocal interest to develop a strong relationship between Turkey and the European Union, and a sustainable de-escalation in the eastern Mediterranean would benefit the stability and security of the whole region,” Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign affairs chief, told reporters after the ministers met in Brussels.

Turkish President President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long been urging the EU to update and expand the scope of the existing Customs Union agreement, and agree to visa-free travel for Turkish citizens as he seeks deeper business links. While discussions on the visa liberalization are still ongoing, Turkey urged EU countries to ease the visa process for at a least a select group of people, including businessmen and students.

Borrell noted earlier that Erdogan had given the green light to Swedish membership of the NATO military alliance. Prior to backing Sweden’s accession earlier this month, Erdogan linked Sweden’s NATO bid to Ankara’s efforts to join the EU. However, accession to the bloc is still off the table amid EU concerns about the rule of law and human rights.

Borrell said that resolving tensions over Cyprus will be key to “the re-engagement” with Turkey. He added that fundamental freedoms, as defined in the European Convention on Human Rights, will be essential. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey occupied the northern third of the island following a coup by supporters of the country’s union with Greece.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told reporters earlier Thursday that her counterparts would discuss Turkey at her government’s request. “Especially after the elections, it is important to reflect upon the question of how we will continue to cooperate with a neighbor who is not always easy but who is an important global actor in our direct neighborhood,” Baerbock said.

Borrell is due to submit a report on the EU-Turkey relationship by the fall.

EU membership remains a distant prospect. “As long as we are confronted with people who have fought for human rights and are now imprisoned in Turkey, we won’t be able to move forward an inch,” Luxembourg’s Jean Asselborn said before the meeting. Turkey applied to join the EU in the late 1980s but negotiations have been at a standstill.

--With assistance from Arne Delfs.

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