Last week, the European Parliament adopted its Türkiye report. Following its adoption, certain circles in Türkiye wasted no time expressing their satisfaction with the report's contents. Some even moved to generate domestic political traction from it before the document was officially published, arranging for the report's authors to speak publicly and amplify its findings at home.
Türkiye wants to join the European Union. That position has not changed. And despite having fulfilled its obligations in the past, Türkiye has been subjected to double standards for political reasons.
For some time now, the Parliament's Türkiye reports have not been designed to encourage the completion of membership conditions. On the contrary, they are drafted from a perspective that prioritizes closing off the membership perspective altogether.
Despite this, Türkiye has never allowed itself, as some countries or leaders in Europe have done, to be trapped in a binary of "membership or exclusion," nor has it surrendered to the reactive reflexes generated in Brussels. It has developed new formats for its relationship with Europe. Knowing the position and nature of these reports, Türkiye has not dwelt on them. It has stated its official response and moved on.
