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Türkiye

Türkiye was granted candidate status in December 1999 and began accession negotiations in October 2005. These negotiations are at a standstill since June 2018. The EU and Türkiye cooperate in areas of joint interest.

Enlargement

EU membership application

In 1987, Türkiye applied to join what was then the European Economic Community. 

At its meeting in Helsinki in December 1999, the European Council granted Türkiye EU candidate status.

Accession negotiations

At its meeting on 16 and 17 December 2004, the European Council decided that Türkiye sufficiently fulfilled the criteria to open accession negotiations.

The Council agreed on a framework for negotiations with Türkiye on 3 October 2005. On the same day, the negotiations were launched at an intergovernmental conference between the EU and Türkiye.

In February 2008, the Council adopted a revised accession partnership with Türkiye. It provides a basis to help prepare Türkiye for eventual EU membership by outlining key priority areas and serves as a yardstick for measuring progress on reforms.

In June 2018, the Council first noted that Türkiye had been moving further away from the EU and that Türkiye’s accession negotiations have therefore effectively come to a standstill and no further chapters can be considered for opening or closing.

Accession conference meetings

Accession negotiations take place at intergovernmental conferences (often called an ‘accession conference’) between ministers and ambassadors of the EU member states and the candidate.  Negotiations cover the body of common rights and law (the ‘EU acquis’) and are divided into different chapters, or clusters of chapters, covering different policy fields. Accession conferences can be held at either ministerial or deputy level.

Prior to the on-going standstill in the accession negotiations, the EU and Türkiye had held 12 such meetings. At the latest meeting, which was held on 30 June 2016, the conference opened negotiations on chapter 33, which deals with financial and budgetary provisions. In 2006, the Council had concluded that eight chapters relevant to Türkiye’s restrictions as regards Cyprus would not be opened and no further chapters would be provisionally closed until Türkiye had fulfilled its commitments related to the Additional Protocol to the EU-Turkey Association Agreement (the ‘Ankara Agreement’).

As part of the accession negotiations, 16 chapters had been opened and one of these had been provisionally closed.

Annual progress review

Every year, the Council takes stock of progress made in each of the EU candidates and partners, including Türkiye, on their European path.

On 16 December 2025, the Danish Council presidency issued conclusions that were politically supported by 26 of the EU member states.

Political cooperation

The EU and Türkiye have an Association Agreement, also known as the Ankara agreement, which dates back to 1963. The agreement aims to deepen political ties and economic integration. To review bilateral relations, there is an association council which last met in March 2019.

While the overall EU-Türkiye relationship is framed by Türkiye’s EU candidate status, the accession negotiations are currently at a standstill. The EU has called on Türkiye to fulfil its obligations under the negotiation framework and to implement the additional protocol to the association agreement with all EU member states.

In line with the relevant European Council conclusions, notably from March and June 2021, the EU is ready to engage with Türkiye in a phased, proportionate and reversible manner to enhance cooperation in areas of common interest such as:

  • migration
  • counter-terrorism
  • public health
  • climate
  • regional issues

To this end, the EU and Türkiye have held high-level dialogues, leaders' meetings and bilateral summits to discuss these issues.

In June 2023, the European Council invited the EU High Representative and the Commission to review the state of the relationship. In November 2023, they published a communication in which they outlined the state of play in key areas such as politics, regional stability, foreign policy, economy, trade and migration. They also issued recommendations aimed to advance the relationship. As a follow-up, in April 2024 EU leaders tasked member states' ambassadors to advance work on the communication and the recommendations.

Economy and trade

Through the association agreement, the EU and Türkiye expanded their economic and trade relations, notably through the establishment of a customs union that entered into force in 1996.

The customs union covers all industrial goods while special trade agreements apply to agricultural, coal and steel products. The Council has called on Türkiye to address its obligations to fully implement the customs union. This includes removing trade barriers or equivalent trade irritants that are non-compliant with these obligations, and to ensure its effective application to all EU member states.

The EU is Türkiye's top trading partner while Türkiye is the EU's 7th biggest trade partner. In 2022, the total trade between them amounted to €198.1 billion, representing 3.6% of the EU's total trade with the world.

Türkiye is eligible for EU financial support through the instrument for pre-accession assistance and from the European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus.

The EU and Türkiye flags set against a world map.
EU-Türkiye trade relations (infographic)

EU-Türkiye trade relations (infographic)

A stable Eastern Mediterranean

The EU has a strategic interest in a stable and secure environment in the Eastern Mediterranean and has frequently called on Türkiye to de-escalate tensions in the area, to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all EU member states and to promote good neighbourly relations in a sustainable way.

Following the discovery of gas reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly in Cyprus, the EU has condemned Türkiye's illegal drilling activities and has called on Türkiye to respect the sovereignty of all EU member states, including respect of their territorial sea and airspace. On 11 November 2019, the Council adopted a sanctions regime in view of Türkiye's unauthorised drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean. It was last extended until 30 November 2025.

The EU is fully committed to a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem within the UN framework and to the negotiations resuming.

Migration

Türkiye is hosting close to 4 million refugees and has been the largest refugee-hosting country in the world for the past nine years, following an unprecedented influx of people seeking refuge from the Syrian civil war. In a joint statement from March 2016, EU and Turkish leaders agreed to tackle irregular migration along the Eastern Mediterranean route and to break the business model of smugglers.

The EU is committed to upholding the statement and has identified effective border management, prevention of irregular arrivals and resumption of returns in accordance with international and EU law as priorities.

To improve the living conditions for refugees in Türkiye, the EU set up a facility in 2015, which has so far mobilised €6 billion in funding.

Visa liberalisation

The EU and Türkiye have launched a dialogue on visa liberalisation in 2013. The dialogue sets out a roadmap towards a visa free regime, including 72 benchmarks Türkiye needs to meet. The process has so far not been concluded.

Earthquake in Türkiye and Syria

Following the devastating earthquakes that hit Türkiye and Syria in February 2023, the EU activated the EU civil protection mechanism to provide support, including search and rescue teams and to deliver temporary accommodation units.

See also

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Last review: 16 December 2025