Turkey and the EU [What Think Tanks are thinking]

Written by Marcin Grajewski,

Relations between Turkey and the European Union have been strained for some time, and most recently, Ankara became embroiled in a diplomatic spat with Germany and the Netherlands, following decisions in both countries to prevent Turkish ministers from addressing rallies of expatriate Turks. On 16 April, the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will hold a referendum to expand presidential powers.

Mr Erdogan has said that Turkey, an EU candidate country, may review its relations with the Union after the coming vote. Government officials have also threatened to ditch last year’s agreement between the EU and Turkey that has helped to stem the flow of migrants into Europe. In November, 2016, the European Parliament passed a resolution, calling for Turkey’s EU entry talks to be suspended until Ankara ended its ‘disproportionate’ and repressive response to a failed coup in July that year.

This note offers links to a series of recent studies and comments from major international think tanks and research institutes on Turkey and its relations with the EU. More reports on the EU enlargement process can be found in a previous edition of ‘What think tanks are thinking’.

Turkey and the EU

Turkey, the European Union and the refugee crisis: A story of multiple failures
Friends of Europe, March 2017

How the EU should respond to Erdoğan’s constitutional coup d’état
Centre for European Policy Studies, March 2017

New directions for European assistance in Turkey
Carnegie Europe, March 2017

The migration paradox and EU-Turkey relations
Instituto Affari Internazionali, December 2016

Dear Europe: Don’t drop Turkey
European Council on Foreign Relations, December 2016

The EU-Turkey March 2016 agreement as a model: New refugee regimes and practices in the Arab Mediterranean and the case of Libya
Instituto Affari Internazionali, December 2016

Taking Turkey seriously
European Council on Foreign Relations, December 2016

Turkey needs a soft exit from the EU
Carnegie Europe, November 2016

The EU-Turkey deal and its implications for the asylum capacities of EU border countries
Istituto Affari Internazionali, November 2016

Trouble on the tracks: Averting the Turkey-EU ‘train wreck
European Council on Foreign Relations, November 2016

Die Syrienkrise: Die Auswirkungen auf die Beziehungen der EU und der NATO zur Türkei
Österreichisches Institut für Internationale Politik, October 2016

After the EU-Turkey refugee deal: A perspective from Turkey
Clingendael, October 2016

The impact of the EU-Turkey statement on protection and reception: The case of Greece
Istituto Affari Internazionali, Stiftung Mercator, Istanbul Policy, October 2016

Success or failure? Assessment of the Readmission Agreement between the EU and Turkey from the legal and political perspectives
Institute of International Relations Prague, October 2016

A breakthrough year in relations between Turkey and the European Union: An attempt to take stock
Centre for Eastern Studies, October 2016

Turkey and the European Union: Scenarios for 2023
Istituto Affari Internazionali, September 2016

The EU-Turkey stalemate: Detecting the root causes of the dysfunctional relationship
Finnish Institute of International Affairs, September 2016

Turkey’s internal situation

Turkey and the codification of autocracy
Centre for European Policy Studies, March 2017

Turkey’s domestically driven foreign policy
Carnegie Europe, February 2017

Turquie: Du kémalisme au néo-ottomanisme
Institut français des relations internationales, January 2017

A tale of two Turkeys
Brookings Institution, January 2017

Constitutional changes in Turkey: A presidential system or the president’s system?
European Policy Centre, January 2017

Turkey’s gift from god
Carnegie Europe, January 2017

Terror continues in polarized Turkey
German Marshall Fund, January 2017

From purges to a ‘new Turkey’: The final stage of the state’s reconstruction
Centre for Eastern Studies, December 2016

Turkey’s Kurdish conflict: 2015-present
Institute for Security and Development Policy, December 2016

Turkey’s nuclear program: Challenges and opportunities
Atlantic Council, December 2016

The limits of Turkey’s post-coup attempt consensus and emerging new political realignment
German Marshall Fund, November 2016

Purge en Turquie: la stratégie autoritaire d’Erdogan. Observatoire de la Turquie et de son environnement géopolitique
Institut de relations internationales et stratégiques, November 2016

The economic track record of pious populists: Evidence from Turkey
Forum for research on Eastern Europe and Emerging Economies, Free Network, November 2016

Turkey’s refugee crisis: The politics of permanence
International Crisis Group, November 2016

Fighting corruption in the Western Balkans and Turkey: Priorities for reform
Transparency International, November 2016

Youth exclusion and the transformative impact of organized youth in Turkey
Istituto Affari Internazionali, October 2016

Co-benefits of climate action: Assessing Turkey’s climate pledge
NewClimate Institute for Climate Policy and Global Sustainability, October 2016

What is the Turkish military’s strategic identity after July 15?
Isambul Policy Center, September 2016

The good, the bad and the Gülenists
European Council on Foreign Relations, September 2016

The evolving approach to refugee protection in Turkey: Assessing the practical and political needs
Migration Policy Institute, September 2016

A ‘new’ Turkey?
Clingendael, August 2016

Turkey’s failed coup: A night of irony (and fear)
Foundation for European Progressive Studies, July 2016

Turkey’s external relations

Turkey’s unpalatable choices in Syria
German Marshall Fund, March 2017

Reducing risks in Turkey’s neighborhood
German Marshall Fund, March 2017

Noch mehr Distanz zum Westen. Warum sich Ankara nach Moskau orientiert
Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, January 2017

Turkey’s role in natural gas: becoming a transit country?
E3G, January 2017

Beyond the myth of partnership: Rethinking US policy toward Turkey
Bipartisan Policy Center, December 2016

The Turkish-Russian rapprochement: How real? How durable?
Rand Corporation, November 2016

U.S.-Turkey relations under Trump may hinge more on Turkey than on Trump
Brookings Institution, November 2016

Syrians in Turkey: The economics of integration
Al Sharq Forum, September 2016

How to deal with post-coup Turkey?
Heinrich Böll Stiftung, September 2016

Why Turkey’s disapproval of the West’s response to the coup has limited merit
Chatham House, August 2016