2023 and 2024 Commission reports on Türkiye

Wording as published by the EP, in English.

1. Amendment 1Adopted

   Paragraph 15

   Tabled by Jonas Sjöstedt, Hanna Gedin, Giorgos Georgiou · The Left

   … journalist, Yıldız Tar, editor in chief of LGBT+ news site Kaos GL, Removed: and Ender İmrek, columnist of Evrensel daily, Added: and Joakim Medin, Swedish journalist for ETC, all well known for their work on human rights issues;

2. Amendment 2Adopted

   Paragraph 15 a (new)

   Tabled by Jonas Sjöstedt, Hanna Gedin, Giorgos Georgiou · The Left

   Added: 15a. Strongly condemns the recent arrest and detention of the Swedish journalist Joakim Medin; reiterates that freedom of the press is a fundamental right and core EU value; strongly condemns the accusations made against Joakim Medin, which are solely based on his journalistic work and therefore demands his immediate and unconditional release and that of other journalists imprisoned for exercising their freedom of speech;

3. Amendment 3Adopted

   Paragraph 19

   Tabled by Giorgos Georgiou · The Left

   … particularly worried by the conditions of imprisonment of elderly and seriously ill Removed: prisoners; Added: prisoners, such as the case of Soydan Akay, who is being unjustly kept imprisoned; calls for his immediate release on humanitarian and health grounds; is concerned by the continued use of humiliating strip searches in prisons …

4. Amendment 4Rejected

   Paragraph 28 a (new)

   Tabled by Giorgos Georgiou · The Left

   Added: 28a. Calls on all Member States to stop all arms exports to Türkiye in view of its militarised foreign policy;

5. Amendment 6Adopted

   Paragraph 1

   Tabled by Nathalie Loiseau · Renew

   … Government’s recent statements reiterating its commitment to EU membership as a strategic Removed: goal Added: goal, amid an effort to revitalise EU-Türkiye relations in line with relevant European … recognises the EU’s commitment to fostering this engagement through enhanced dialogue and Removed: cooperation; Added: cooperation but encourages it to review its expectations for engagement in the foreseeable future, in light of the deterioration of democratic standards that has been pushing the country towards an authoritarian model over the past decade, accelerating recently with the politically motivated arrest of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s main political opponent, Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Ekrem İmamoğlu;

6. Amendment 7Adopted

   Paragraph 21

   Tabled by Malik Azmani · Renew

   … Turkish authorities are further pushing the country towards a fully authoritarian model; Added: regrets the EU’s lack of a strong, unified response to these alarming developments; strongly criticises the decision to proceed with the first EU-Türkiye High-Level Economic Dialogue since 2019 on 3 April 2025, despite these deeply troubling developments, and deplores the absence of clear conditionality tied to the release of İmamoğlu and detained journalists, which seriously undermines the EU’s credibility and commitment to democratic values; urges the Commission, therefore, to develop, without delay, a comprehensive toolbox of political and economic measures, to be enacted swiftly and decisively in the event of further democratic backsliding in Türkiye;

7. Amendment 7Rejected

   Paragraph 21

   Tabled by Malik Azmani · Renew

   … Turkish authorities are further pushing the country towards a fully authoritarian model; Added: regrets the EU’s lack of a strong, unified response to these alarming developments; strongly criticises the decision to proceed with the first EU-Türkiye High-Level Economic Dialogue since 2019 on 3 April 2025, despite these deeply troubling developments, and deplores the absence of clear conditionality tied to the release of İmamoğlu and detained journalists, which seriously undermines the EU’s credibility and commitment to democratic values; urges the Commission, therefore, to develop, without delay, a comprehensive toolbox of political and economic measures, to be enacted swiftly and decisively in the event of further democratic backsliding in Türkiye;

8. Amendment 8Adopted

   Paragraph 23

   Tabled by Lucia Yar · Renew

   … effectively tackle all forms of violence against women and the practice of Removed: so called Added: so-called ‘honour killings’, end the persistent policy of impunity by holding abusers to … with regard to the participation of women in decision-making and policymaking processes; Added: warns against further encroachments on women’s rights, as exemplified by Türkiye’s recent ban on elective caesarean sections at private medical centres without medical justification, which constitutes an unacceptable infringement on women’s bodily autonomy;

9. Amendment 10Adopted

   Paragraph 49

   Tabled by Nathalie Loiseau · Renew

   … constructive dialogue and deepening cooperation in areas of mutual strategic interest; points Removed: to Added: towards a number of policy areas for future engagement, whether it be the … transition, trade, energy, a modernised customs union and visa liberalisation, among others; Added: recalls, however, that democratic backsliding and non-alignment with the CFSP are not conducive to significant progress being made in that regard; reaffirms that the EU is committed to pursuing the best possible relations with Removed: Türkiye, Added: Türkiye based on dialogue, respect and mutual trust, in line with international law …

10. Amendment 11Adopted

    Paragraph 50

    Tabled by Malik Azmani · Renew

    … artificial intelligence, health, security and migration management, among others; in this regard, Removed: welcomes Added: notes that various high-level dialogues (HLDs) Added: were held recently, including the HLD on Removed: trade, and the plans for an Added: trade and the HLD on economy, as Removed: positive steps towards pragmatic forms of cooperation in areas of mutual importance; calls … of structured HLDs on sectoral cooperation, to address common challenges and explore Removed: opportunities for joint initiatives in fields such as security, climate change, research and innovation; stresses that trade between the EU and Türkiye hit a record high last year and that the EU remains Türkiye’s largest trade and investment partner; calls for the removal of all existing trade barriers and irritants; Added: opportunities, on the condition that such cooperation must go hand-in-hand with clear and consistent conditionality grounded in respect for democratic principles, the rule of law and fundamental rights, as previously underlined in this report;

11. Amendment 12Adopted

    Paragraph 52

    Tabled by Nathalie Loiseau · Renew

    … the invaluable contribution of Erasmus+ exchanges in providing rich cross-cultural educational opportunities; Added: regrets, however, the poor oversight on the part of the Commission, exemplified by the Erasmus partnership with Gaziantep Islam Science and Technology University, whose leadership publicly expressed support for terrorist acts; calls on the Commission to ensure that partner universities respect the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights by conducting ex ante verifications and regular controls;

12. Amendment 12Adopted

    Paragraph 52

    Tabled by Nathalie Loiseau · Renew

    … the invaluable contribution of Erasmus+ exchanges in providing rich cross-cultural educational opportunities; Added: regrets, however, the poor oversight on the part of the Commission, exemplified by the Erasmus partnership with Gaziantep Islam Science and Technology University, whose leadership publicly expressed support for terrorist acts; calls on the Commission to ensure that partner universities respect the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights by conducting ex ante verifications and regular controls;

13. Amendment 13Adopted

    Paragraph 54

    Tabled by Malik Azmani · Renew

    … parties involved, for example by modernising and enhancing the current Association Agreement; Added: underlines that such a positive process must be based on and matched by tangible progress in Türkiye as regards CFSP alignment, democracy, the rule of law and respect for fundamental values;

14. Amendment 20Rejected

    Paragraph 1 a (new)

    Tabled by Alexander Sell, Sarah Knafo · ESN

    Added: 1a. Calls on the Commission and the Council to terminate all EU accession negotiations with Türkiye and cease any and all pre-accession funding to the country;

15. Amendment 21Rejected

    Paragraph 1 b (new)

    Tabled by Alexander Sell, Tomasz Froelich · ESN

    Added: 1b. Stresses that Türkiye is not a European country and should therefore not become a member of the EU; recommends that alternatives to accession be identified to enable mutually beneficial cooperation between the EU and Türkiye;

16. Amendment 21Rejected

    Paragraph 1 b (new)

    Tabled by Alexander Sell, Tomasz Froelich · ESN

    Added: 1b. Stresses that Türkiye is not a European country and should therefore not become a member of the EU; recommends that alternatives to accession be identified to enable mutually beneficial cooperation between the EU and Türkiye;

17. Amendment 21Rejected

    Paragraph 1 b (new)

    Tabled by Alexander Sell, Tomasz Froelich · ESN

    Added: 1b. Stresses that Türkiye is not a European country and should therefore not become a member of the EU; recommends that alternatives to accession be identified to enable mutually beneficial cooperation between the EU and Türkiye;

18. Amendment 22Rejected

    Paragraph 1 c (new)

    Tabled by Alexander Sell · ESN

    Added: 1c. Urges the Commission to ensure that no EU taxpayers’ money is used to support or strengthen President Erdoğan’s political agenda;

19. Amendment 25Rejected

    Paragraph 23 a (new)

    Tabled by Tomasz Froelich, Alexander Sell, Petr Bystron +1 · ESN

    Added: 23a. Recalls that the EU’s motto is ‘United in diversity’; recalls that, according to Article 4(2) of the Treaty on European Union, the EU must respect the national identity of its Member States, which also includes national cultural diversity and constitutional values and principles; calls on the EU to respect the national identity of accession candidate Türkiye; respects, in this regard, Türkiye’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention; notes that this convention is based on the ideological assumptions of gender theory, which assumes that femininity and masculinity are cultural creations that reinforce systematically unequal power relations; notes that Member States Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Lithuania and Slovakia have not ratified the Istanbul Convention;

20. Amendment 27Rejected

    Paragraph 43

    Tabled by Tomasz Froelich, Alexander Sell, Petr Bystron +1 · ESN

    … the Turkish Government’s use of the Turkish diaspora as an instrument for Removed: occasional meddling in EU Member States’ domestic policies; Added: notes, in this regard, that most of the imams of the German-Turkish Islamic association DITIB are sent directly from Türkiye, are subordinate to the Turkish religious authority Diyanet and follow its instructions; condemns previous threats of legal challenges by DITIB against German newspapers to silence criticism of certain practices within DITIB;

21. Amendment 37Rejected

    Recital K a (new)

    Tabled by Nikola Bartůšek, Pierre-Romain Thionnet, Roberto Vannacci +4 · PfE

    Added: Ka. whereas Türkiye has previously engaged in activities that have influenced European social dynamics, cohesion and security, including through involvement with its diaspora communities;

22. Amendment 38Rejected

    Recital K b (new)

    Tabled by Nikola Bartůšek, Pierre-Romain Thionnet, Roberto Vannacci +4 · PfE

    Added: Kb. whereas Türkiye has historically supported, hosted and aligned itself with Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated groups and leaders; whereas the United States has expressed concern over Türkiye hosting Hamas leaders and officials in Türkiye and stated that such actions are incompatible with the responsibilities of a NATO member;

23. Amendment 39Rejected

    Paragraph 1

    Tabled by Roberto Vannacci, Nikola Bartůšek, Susanna Ceccardi +4 · PfE

    1. Removed: Recognises the long-standing aspirations of Turkish civil society regarding accession to the European Union; welcomes the Turkish Government’s recent statements reiterating its commitment to EU membership as a strategic goal amid an effort to revitalise EU-Türkiye relations in line with relevant European Council conclusions in a phased, proportionate and reversible manner; recognises the EU’s commitment to fostering this engagement through enhanced dialogue and cooperation; Added: Notes that Türkiye’s continuous and growing distancing from European values and standards has brought EU-Türkiye relations to a historic low point;

24. Amendment 40Rejected

    Paragraph 6 a (new)

    Tabled by Nikola Bartůšek, Pierre-Romain Thionnet, Roberto Vannacci +4 · PfE

    Added: 6a. Urges the EU institutions to strengthen monitoring mechanisms regarding Türkiye’s ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and affiliated networks in Europe, given their role in fostering extremist narratives and undermining social cohesion and security in the Member States;

25. Amendment 41Rejected

    Paragraph 25 a (new)

    Tabled by Nikola Bartůšek, Pierre-Romain Thionnet, Roberto Vannacci +4 · PfE

    Added: 25a. Condemns Türkiye’s systematic promotion of Islamist and extremist ideologies, including its alignment with Islamist movements, including EU-listed terror organisations such as Hamas;

26. Amendment 44Adopted

    Paragraph 18 a (new)

    Tabled by Geadis Geadi, Emmanouil Fragkos, Galato Alexandraki +8 · ECR

    Added: 18a. Calls on Türkiye to respect the European Court of Human Rights decision of 24 January 2008, which found Türkiye guilty of breaching Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, due to its failure to locate and prosecute those responsible in the case of the murders of Tassos Isaak and Solomos Solomou, which were committed in Cyprus in 1996; calls on the Turkish authorities to enforce the international arrest warrants against the murder suspects, and hand them over to the Republic of Cyprus;