{"id":25679,"date":"2026-02-26T18:58:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T18:58:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/25679\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T18:58:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T18:58:11","slug":"turkey-has-displayed-fully-authoritarian-backsliding-rather-than-membership-progress-eu-rapporteur-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/25679\/","title":{"rendered":"Turkey has displayed \u2018fully authoritarian backsliding\u2019 rather than membership progress, EU rapporteur says"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Nacho Sanchez Amor, the European Parliament\u2019s Turkey rapporteur, said Wednesday that what Turkey has demonstrated rather than progress in its EU membership bid is \u201cfully authoritarian backsliding,\u201d warning that the appointment of former \u0130stanbul chief public prosecutor Ak\u0131n G\u00fcrlek as the new justice minister would test Ankara\u2019s commitment to EU membership.<\/p>\n

Presenting his draft annual report on Turkey\u2019s EU accession, Amor said the assessment would not be \u201cvery optimistic\u201d as Turkey has backslid rather than progressed on democratic standards and continues to fall short of its membership obligations.<\/p>\n

I presented today my draft for the upcoming EP report on #T\u00fcrkiye<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The text insists in clearly differentiating “membership” -related to democratic standards: no progress at all- and “partnership” -related to pragmatic cooperation on shared interests-.<\/p>\n

\u25b6\ufe0f https:\/\/t.co\/gWUkny1ho0<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Nacho S\u00e1nchez Amor (@NachoSAmor) February 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Amor sharply criticized the appointment of G\u00fcrlek as justice minister, describing him as \u201cthe spearhead of political repression,\u201d particularly in cases targeting opposition figures such as \u0130stanbul Mayor Ekrem \u0130mamo\u011flu. He said the appointment would serve as \u201ca test for Turkey\u201d and a signal of whether the country really wants to join the EU.<\/p>\n

G\u00fcrlek became a controversial figure for overseeing legal action against opposition politicians, primarily figures from the main opposition Republican People\u2019s Party (CHP). The party accuses him of leading a politically motivated judicial crackdown, pointing to in particular to prosecutions of its senior officials.<\/p>\n

\u0130mamo\u011flu was detained on March 19, 2025, and arrested<\/a> days later on corruption charges. Having been named his party\u2019s presidential candidate for the 2028 election, his arrest was widely viewed by critics as targeting the biggest political rival of longtime President Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan and sparked<\/a> Turkey\u2019s largest protests in a decade.<\/p>\n

Amor also warned that the silence of the European Commission and the Council of the EU on Turkey\u2019s democratic decline is damaging the bloc\u2019s credibility, saying the EU is \u201closing pro-European and pro-democratic civil society in Turkey.\u201d<\/p>\n

He described the EU\u2019s initial statement following \u0130mamo\u011flu\u2019s detention as \u201cvery weak\u201d and stressed that promoting democracy is an obligation of all EU institutions. He said EU officials must raise concerns not only in private bilateral meetings but also publicly so that Turkish civil society can hear them.<\/p>\n

The rapporteur also proposed building a more practical partnership while Turkey\u2019s EU accession talks remain effectively stalled, pointing to modernization of the customs union, visa liberalization, security and defense cooperation and the presumption of high-level political dialogue as potential areas for engagement.<\/p>\n

EU parliamentarians will be able to submit amendments to the draft report until March 6. A revised version is expected to be presented by Amor to the European Parliament\u2019s Committee on Foreign Affairs on April 15-16, followed by a committee vote in the first week of May. The report is expected to be put to a full plenary vote in the European Parliament on June 16-18.<\/p>\n