Publication

19 Apr 2017

Now that Turkish voters have supported the “codification of autocracy,” argue the authors of this commentary, any hope for the democratic removal of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has evaporated. Given this state of affairs, the EU should terminate Turkey’s accession process. That’s because by constitutionalizing a presidential system that erases the separation of powers and frees Erdoğan’s hands to deepen repression, Turkey will be in breach of the ‘political’ criteria for EU membership for years, if not decades, to come. In response, the EU should stand behind its core values and reset its relationship with the Republic of Turkey on a more credible and strategic footing. Here’s what that means.

Download English (PDF, 5 pages, 446 KB)
Author Steven Blockmans, Sinem Yilmaz
Series CEPS Commentaries
Publisher Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS)
Copyright © 2017 Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS)
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