Nothing new on the EU Commission’s 2023 report on Türkiye

Some key takeaways from the EU Commission’s 2023 report on Türkiye:

• The report covers developments in Türkiye from June 2022 to June 2023 and assesses Türkiye’s preparations for EU membership across a range of areas.
• There are serious concerns about the functioning of Türkiye’s democratic institutions, rule of law, and human rights situation. The report highlights backsliding in these areas.
• Presidential and parliamentary elections were held in May 2023. The OSCE observation mission found that while voters had a genuine choice, biased media coverage and lack of level playing field gave the incumbent president an undue advantage.
• The judiciary lacks independence from the executive branch and there are concerns about undue political influence on judicial proceedings.
• On human rights, the situation deteriorated with continued pressure on journalists, academics, human rights defenders and opposition voices. The new media law raises concerns about restrictions on freedom of expression.
• On foreign policy, Türkiye has diverged from EU positions and increased economic and energy dependence on Russia. However, Türkiye facilitated negotiations on Ukrainian grain exports.
• In the areas of economy and competitiveness, the report notes some progress but serious concerns remain about economic governance, high inflation, and weakening of economic fundamentals.
• Regarding relations with Cyprus, Türkiye continued to refuse to recognize the Republic of Cyprus and pushed for a two-state solution, contrary to UN resolutions.
• The EU-Turkey migration cooperation has continued but Türkiye has not resumed returns from the Greek islands. Türkiye is hosting around 3.6 million Syrian refugees.
• The report urges Türkiye to address deficiencies in rule of law, human rights, and governance reforms to progress in its EU accession process.