EU report highlights Türkiye's strategic weight as talks stall

The European Commission on Wednesday published its 2026 assessment of Türkiye, acknowledging the country's expanding strategic weight within the bloc while reaffirming that accession negotiations remain stalled over persistent concerns regarding democratic standards and judicial independence.

Geostrategic role and foreign policy

The report underlined that Ankara serves a vital function in European security architecture, stating that the country “as a close neighbour in a crucial geostrategic location, plays an important role in European security and the cross-regional connectivity agenda.” Officials noted that growing geopolitical challenges have highlighted Türkiye's strategic regional role, particularly regarding developments in Syria, Ukraine, Gaza, the wider Middle East and the South Caucasus.

Brussels acknowledged that Ankara maintained an active diplomatic posture throughout 2025, balancing relations with competing powers while facilitating dialogue. “Türkiye continued to implement an active and multi-layered foreign policy, balancing its relations with key geopolitical actors and pursuing mediation and diplomatic efforts, while striving for strategic autonomy,” the document stated. The assessment highlighted Ankara's facilitating role in the Russia-Ukraine war and strategically important ties with Kyiv, alongside continued high-level contacts with Moscow.

Regarding Washington, the assessment characterized bilateral ties as complex but essential, noting that Ankara “remained both an important and a challenging partner” within the NATO framework, with high-level contacts continuing throughout the reporting period. On the Middle East, the report noted Türkiye's balanced stance and diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions, with cooperation with Gulf states most visible on Gaza and Syria's stabilisation. “Cooperation with the Gulf states has been most visible on Gaza and Syria's stabilisation and reconstruction. The Middle East conflict also nurtured Türkiye's connectivity strategy toward the Gulf, motivated by Turkish ambition to become the main land bridge between the Gulf and Europe,” it said. Relations with Israel continued to deteriorate while Ankara advocated for Palestinian recognition and provided substantial humanitarian assistance. The country remained a key actor in Libya advocating stability through UN-facilitated processes, though Brussels reiterated its disagreement with the 2019 maritime memorandum between Ankara and Tripoli.

Defense industry and economic integration

On defense capabilities, the assessment noted significant growth in Türkiye's defense industry production and exports, with Turkish companies increasingly seeking EU market opportunities through joint ventures. “Türkiye continues to maintain the second largest army in NATO, while over recent years, its defense industry has seen a significant increase in both production and exports,” the report said, identifying Ukraine as a principal arms export market and noting expanded cooperation with Gulf states. Domestic production now covers artillery, UAVs, unmanned surface vessels and electronic warfare systems.

The commission emphasized that “the sector's growth could contribute to Türkiye's strategic objective of strengthening its domestic industry while expanding exports, particularly to emerging markets, reducing its reliance on external suppliers, and leveraging arms export to forge new international partnerships.” Regarding economic metrics, officials assessed that “Türkiye is well advanced in establishing a functioning market economy and has made some progress over the reporting period,” highlighting industrial diversification and supply chain integration in machinery, textiles, transport equipment and critical raw materials. The Central Bank has restored credibility while the current account deficit remained moderate, and Brussels continues technical contacts to address Customs Union functioning and reduce trade barriers established since 2021.

Accession deadlock and hybrid threats

Despite these areas of cooperation, the commission reiterated that accession negotiations have remained at a standstill since 2018, citing unaddressed concerns over the deterioration of democratic standards, judicial independence and fundamental rights. The report recalled that particular importance was attached to resuming negotiations on a Cyprus settlement to further develop cooperation.

Officials also pointed out that Ankara currently faces various hybrid threats, including cyberattacks, artificial intelligence-supported disinformation campaigns, security vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure and the possible manipulation of migration flows. The assessment noted that Türkiye had established institutional arrangements to coordinate its accession process, even as the overall framework remained frozen since 2018, and that cooperation continued in areas of common interest despite the formal deadlock.