On the evening of Tuesday 14 November, Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi called for closer relations between the EU and Turkey, “a candidate country for EU membership, an essential partner of the EU, a major NATO ally and a strategic partner in a difficult region”.
“The EU and Turkey should engage together more than ever”, he said in a speech to the Turkish Industry and Business Association (TÜSIAD), explaining that in the current geopolitical environment, it was in the common interest of both parties to deepen and intensify their cooperation.
According to the Commissioner, “thanks to its dynamic and modern economy, its strong and well-educated workforce and its geographical proximity, Turkey should be a natural choice for the EU”.
“We may not agree on everything, but there are certainly more things that unite us than divide us”, added the Commissioner. In his view, there are many areas where the EU and Turkey could cooperate more closely, such as the green and digital transitions, energy security and diversification, competitiveness and industry, connectivity, innovation and technology, migration and security.
In his speech, Mr Várhelyi did not mention the difficulties in the relationship, such as the deteriorating state of the rule of law in Turkey, which is the cause of the freeze on Turkey’s EU accession negotiations, or Turkey’s complicated neighbourly relations with several Member States (see EUROPE 13288/3).
At the request of the European Council, the Commission and the High Representative are due to present a report in the next few days on the state of relations between the EU and Turkey. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)