Accession of Turkey to the European Union

<a href="/facts/Turkey/KIYAWAs0">Turkey</a> is negotiating its accession to the <a href="/facts/European_Union/6GYcR8qM">European Union</a> (EU) as a member state, following its application to become a full member of the <a href="/facts/European_Economic_Community/tx2V9KAQ">European Economic Community</a> (EEC), the predecessor of the EU, on 14 April 1987.
After the ten founding members in 1949, Turkey became one of the first new members (<a href="/facts/Member_states_of_the_Council_of_Europe/fu8jB6ru">the 13th member</a>) of the <a href="/facts/Council_of_Europe/51I3TyDg">Council of Europe</a> in 1950. The country became an <a href="/facts/Ankara_Agreement/0fSRyqW3">associate member</a> of the <a href="/facts/European_Economic_Community/tx2V9KAQ">European Economic Community</a> (EEC) in 1963 and was an <a href="/facts/Western_European_Union/KLtu7fbc">associate member</a> of the <a href="/facts/Western_European_Union/KLtu7fbc">Western European Union</a> from 1992 to its end in 2011. Turkey signed a <a href="/facts/European_Union%25E2%2580%2593Turkey_Customs_Union/rSVsYW9C">Customs Union agreement</a> with the EU in 1995 and was officially recognised as a candidate for full membership on 12 December 1999, at the <a href="/facts/Helsinki/9za9r3jS">Helsinki</a> summit of the <a href="/facts/European_Council/QLJLlbkt">European Council</a>.
Negotiations for full membership were started on 3 October 2005. Progress was slow: out of the 35 chapters necessary to complete the accession process, only 16 had been opened and one had been closed by May 2016. The early 2016 <a href="/facts/European_migrant_crisis/Mp06vFWh">refugee</a> deal between Turkey and the European Union was intended to accelerate negotiations after previous stagnation and allow visa-free travel through Europe for Turks.
Since 2016, accession negotiations have stalled. The EU has accused and criticized Turkey for human rights violations and deficits in <a href="/facts/Rule_of_law/BS8rbmel">rule of law</a>. In 2017, EU officials said that the strong presidency created by the <a href="/facts/2017_Turkish_constitutional_referendum/u1oLYxG5">2017 Turkish constitutional referendum</a> would violate the <a href="/facts/Copenhagen_criteria/HzRTbMor">Copenhagen criteria</a> of eligibility for an EU membership.
On 20 February 2019, a European parliament committee voted to suspend the accession talks, sparking criticism from the government of Turkey. Turkey's accession negotiations have therefore effectively come to a standstill and no further chapters can be considered for opening or closing and no further work towards the modernisation of the <a href="/facts/European_Union%25E2%2580%2593Turkey_Customs_Union/rSVsYW9C">EU-Turkey Customs Union</a> is foreseen.
On 30 January 2023, the <a href="/facts/Table_of_Six/b47wB9d6">Table of Six</a> (then-main opposition alliance) in Turkey released a <a href="/facts/Memorandum_of_understanding/eyjDh7Nq">memorandum of understanding</a> for common <a href="/facts/Policy/0DtXG95q">policies</a>. It re-affirmed the opposition's intent to continue the EU accession talks if they were to be elected in <a href="/facts/2023_Turkish_general_election/GALFHlTp">that year's elections</a>. <a href="/facts/Republican_People%2527s_Party/A2wGBefn">CHP</a> leader and <a href="/facts/List_of_main_opposition_leaders_of_Turkey/L7IJuwBl">Turkey's main opposition leader</a> <a href="/facts/%25C3%2596zg%25C3%25BCr_%25C3%2596zel/u13Efx2c">Özgür Özel</a> announced that if he wins the <a href="/facts/Next_Turkish_parliamentary_election/lgzLpkve">next Turkish general elections</a>, his country will rapidly continue its accession negotiations with the EU and his country will become a member of the EU as soon as possible.
It is one of nine current EU candidate countries, together with <a href="/facts/Accession_of_Albania_to_the_European_Union/P20RlnPF">Albania</a>, <a href="/facts/Accession_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina_to_the_European_Union/VLe5zmyX">Bosnia and Herzegovina</a>, <a href="/facts/Accession_of_Georgia_to_the_European_Union/8uqnFtJ9">Georgia</a>, <a href="/facts/Accession_of_Moldova_to_the_European_Union/fwwodFPP">Moldova</a>, <a href="/facts/Accession_of_Montenegro_to_the_European_Union/W69PRhbn">Montenegro</a>, <a href="/facts/Accession_of_North_Macedonia_to_the_European_Union/n3QWr9K4">North Macedonia</a>, <a href="/facts/Accession_of_Serbia_to_the_European_Union/47zN6Pv7">Serbia</a>, and <a href="/facts/Accession_of_Ukraine_to_the_European_Union/2bWr0k4X">Ukraine</a>.

Accession of Turkey to the European Union open-in-new

Accession of Turkey to the European Union