Turkey-EU relations, based on accession talks, have been in a dead-end for over a decade. During this time span, Turkey has become an authoritarian state, nowhere near of fulfilling official membership criteria. One can increasingly hear arguments that a new framework is urgently needed, while very little is being done in practice. At the same time, Turkey is fast approaching parliamentary and presidential elections scheduled for June 2023, the year of the 100th anniversary of the Republic. The EU’s stance has been based on what is called ‘strategic patience’, a policy that aims to look for a post-Erdoğan era that would allegedly enable a more cooperative relationship.
This FIIA webinar looks at Turkey’s current political process. What are the prospects for free and fair elections; the status of both Erdoğan’s power bloc and the many faces of the increasingly vocal opposition. Looking at the present moment, is there a way out from Turkey’s current troubles, and what role can and should the EU play in all this?
