The European Commission has released its annual report on Türkiye, a EU candidate country, as part of its 2023 Enlargement Package. The report, which includes evaluations on other candidate countries, criticised Türkiye for its democratic institutions, public administration reform, and human rights deterioration. The report also highlighted Turkey’s stance on the Ukraine war and its involvement in the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Türkiye also emphasised its „regional normalisation” policy with Arab states, Armenia, and Israel.
However, the report criticised Türkiye’s response to the Hamas terrorist group’s attacks on Israel in October 2023.
„Following the Hamas terrorist group’s attacks against Israel in October 2023, Türkiye refrained from condemning and qualifying them as terrorism and strongly criticised Israel’s response,” it said. The report also noted that Türkiye is currently re-evaluating its ties with Israel and aligns with the EU’s position on the Middle East Peace Process.
Economically, the report found high economic integration with the EU, making Türkiye the bloc’s seventh-largest trading partner. Türkiye applied for EC membership in 1987 and its accession talks began in 2005. However, the talks have been frozen due to political roadblocks by certain EU members.
