THE CHAPTER ILLUSION. For honesty and clarity in EU-Turkey relations
THE CHAPTER ILLUSION. For honesty and clarity in EU-Turkey relations

Author(s): Author Not Specified
Subject(s): International relations/trade
Published by: ESI – European Stability Initiative
Keywords: EU-Turkey-relation; Turkish EU-accession; Cyprus;
Summary/Abstract: What can the EU do in the face of politicised justice, human rights violations and disregard for basic principles of the rule of law in Turkey today? What actions might make a difference? It is easy to state what should be avoided: silence in the face of repression, certainly; cutting links to Turkey, obviously; drawing “red lines” which cannot be defended because the EU lacks the tools or the consensus to do so, of course. || To take one emblematic issue: why does the EU not open chapter 23 (on “Judiciary and fundamental rights”) if it is concerned about the state of the rule of law and fundamental rights in Turkey? This is what members of the Turkish government keep asking. The conventional answer is: Cyprus and its veto. But this answer hides a much more important question: what if, due to some change of heart in Nicosia, chapter 23 were to be “opened” tomorrow?

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