Türkiye slams EU's 'prejudiced and unfair' 2026 enlargement report

Prejudiced assessments

Türkiye's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday slammed the European Commission’s 2026 enlargement report on Ankara, accusing Brussels of maintaining a "prejudiced and unfair" stance and applying double standards in its assessment of political criteria and fundamental rights.

In a comprehensive statement, the ministry rejected the document’s claims regarding the judiciary and rule of law as lacking credibility, noting that certain EU officials had adopted an increasingly inconsistent approach toward Ankara. The report reflected a "prejudiced and unfair attitude," the ministry said, dismissing specific allegations as unfounded.

Regional disputes

Ankara specifically criticized the bloc for supporting "unrealistic and legally questionable positions" taken by Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration while disregarding the legitimate rights of Türkiye and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

On the Cyprus issue, the ministry stated that the EU cannot contribute meaningfully to settlement efforts as long as it unconditionally adopts the Greek Cypriot position. It also dismissed the report’s remarks on the Eastern Mediterranean as contrary to international law and rejected assessments of the Türkiye-Libya maritime agreement as lacking legal validity.

Economic cooperation

Separately, the ministry welcomed the commission’s recognition of Türkiye’s progress in economic and monetary policy, citing positive assessments of the country’s functioning market economy and capacity to withstand competitive pressures within the EU.

Pointing to trade data included in the report, Ankara renewed its call for the modernization of the EU-Türkiye Customs Union, describing this long-standing demand as a legitimate and justified expectation given the depth of bilateral commercial ties.

Strategic partnership

The ministry underlined that relations should be shaped by shared interests and long-term vision rather than narrow political calculations, reaffirming Ankara’s commitment to partnership law and the principle of keeping agreements while advancing ties on the basis of mutual trust.

Ankara urged Brussels to demonstrate the strategic political will required to build a shared future, calling on the EU to transform recent dialogue into concrete decisions that would strengthen Türkiye’s membership perspective.