Turkey

Turkey stands at the meeting point of Europe and Asia, a nation of over 85 million people whose history, culture and geography have made it a bridge between continents and a major power in its own right. Its European vocation is long-standing: an associate of the European Communities since 1963, it has been formally a candidate for membership since 1999.

Yet Turkey's accession process has been at a standstill since 2018. While its strategic weight is undeniable — as a NATO ally, a key actor in the Mediterranean, the Middle East and the Black Sea, and a partner on trade, energy and migration — its path to Europe has been blocked by serious concerns over democracy, the rule of law and fundamental freedoms. The independence of the judiciary, the freedom of the press and academic freedom remain under pressure, and the European Parliament has held that, under current conditions, the process cannot be re-started.

A nation deeply tied to Europe yet held back by its own democratic backsliding, Turkey speaks to a conviction at the heart of the European Democrats' mission: that no geographic or strategic importance can substitute for the fundamental values — democracy, the rule of law, free media — on which European membership rests. The European Democrats stand with Turkey's democrats, its independent journalists and its citizens who keep that European hope alive.