Turkey

Turkey stands where Europe meets Asia, a country of around 85.6 million people (2024), a bridge between continents and a major power in its own right. Associated with the European Communities since 1963 and linked to the EU by a customs union since 1995, it has been an official candidate for membership since 1999.

Yet its accession negotiations have been at a standstill since 2018. Turkey's strategic weight is undeniable — as a NATO ally and a partner on trade, energy and migration — but serious concerns over democracy, the rule of law and fundamental freedoms block its path. With judicial independence, press freedom and academic freedom under pressure, the European Parliament has stated that the process cannot resume under current conditions.

Turkey speaks to a conviction at the heart of the European Democrats' mission: that no strategic importance can substitute for the values — democracy, the rule of law, free media — on which membership rests. The European Democrats stand with Turkey's democrats, its independent journalists and the citizens who keep that European hope alive.