The European Parliament’s Turkey rapporteur, Nacho Sanchez Amor, has said persistent human rights violations and democratic backsliding in Turkey are now drawing less criticism from the EU because Brussels no longer perceives Ankara as a candidate for membership.
Speaking in an interview with the T24 news website, the rapporteur said that while Turkey remains formally an EU candidate, its actions have distanced it from the accession process, and European decision-makers increasingly avoid addressing Turkey’s membership prospects.
Amor, who has served as Turkey rapporteur for five years, emphasized that Turkey’s democratic backsliding, marked by judicial crackdowns, political arrests and suppression of free expression, has further alienated the country from the EU’s core values.
“Turkey’s government no longer pursues EU membership reforms, and the EU is comfortable not pushing the issue,” he said, pointing out that relations have shifted toward a geopolitical give-and-take approach rather than accession negotiations.
The rapporteur expressed deep concern over a case in which high school girls were interrogated by authorities over an academic assignment, calling it a disturbing sign of Turkey’s increasing crackdown on free thought and expression.
“A young girl was questioned by police because of an assignment she prepared at school, and she was even asked: ‘Why did you do your project on that topic?’” Amor said. “This is completely crazy.”
He warned that such cases are symptomatic of Turkey’s broader authoritarian shift, where critical thinking and independent inquiry are being criminalized.
“I want you to imagine a country where students are interrogated over their homework assignments,” Amor said. “This is the reality of today’s Turkey — where journalists, politicians and now even students face state repression.”
Amor also raised concerns about Turkey’s growing trend of appointing government trustees to replace elected mayors, particularly in opposition-held municipalities.
“We have been warning Turkish authorities: ‘Please do not return to the trustee system.’ Yet, almost every week, a new mayor is removed, and a trustee is appointed,” he said.
Amor criticized the legal basis for these removals, stating that mayors were being ousted without court rulings, violating Turkey’s own constitution.
“The response I get from Turkish officials is always: ‘This is in our laws.’ No, it is not. The law they reference is unconstitutional because you cannot remove an elected mayor without a court decision,” Amor said.
He also highlighted irregular judicial procedures, such as the arrest of Esenyurt’s mayor Ahmet Özer, based on decade-old phone surveillance.
“In Ahmet Özer’s case, a phone recording from ten years ago was used as evidence against him. We don’t even know if that surveillance was conducted legally, under a court order,” he said.
“How is it possible that someone is recorded for ten years? Is there even a legal framework for this? These are the unanswered questions that have become normal in today’s Turkey.”
Discussing the growing use of terrorism charges against political figures, Amor warned that Turkey’s government was criminalizing dissent.
“At this rate, half the Turkish population could be accused of terrorism,” he said, referring to how opposition politicians face detentions under vague and broad allegations.
“Political arrests in Turkey serve as bargaining chips,” Amor continued. “For example, detained pro-Kurdish DEM Party officials may be used in negotiations over a peace process. Similarly, Ekrem İmamoğlu, the opposition’s leading figure, is under constant legal pressure that has nothing to do with justice but everything to do with political maneuvering.”
When asked whether Turkey still fits its constitutional definition as a “secular, democratic, social state governed by the rule of law,” Amor was blunt.
“No, Turkey no longer looks like a secular and democratic state,” he said. “What exists today is an authoritarian interpretation of the presidential system, where democratic institutions have been hollowed out.”
Comparing Turkey’s governance to Russia’s authoritarian model, Amor warned that checks and balances no longer function effectively.
“The current system consolidates power in the hands of a single leader, and society is increasingly excluded from decision-making,” he said. “Turkey is moving toward an illiberal democracy — a country that holds elections, but where democratic institutions do not function.”
Amor acknowledged that Brussels’ silence on Turkey’s human rights violations reflects a shift in perspective.
“Turkey is still officially a candidate country, but in reality, it is treated as a third party rather than a future EU member,” he said.
This shift, he suggested, explains why European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, during her recent visit to Ankara, made no mention of democracy or the rule of law, instead focusing solely on migration agreements.
“While the EU remains engaged with Turkey on security and migration, Brussels no longer treats Ankara as a viable candidate for membership,” Amor said.
While some critics blame the EU for neglecting Turkey’s accession, Amor placed responsibility squarely on Ankara.
“This is Turkey’s own doing. The country’s leadership has chosen to abandon democratic reforms,” he said. “In the past, some people inside the EU openly said: ‘We don’t want Turkey in the EU.’ Now they don’t need to say that anymore — because Turkey is already distancing itself.”
Amor rejected the idea that Turkey’s geopolitical importance could serve as a shortcut to EU membership. “You cannot play poker with chess rules,” he said. “Turkey believes that geopolitical importance can replace democratic reforms, but that is not how it works. Without democracy, there is no EU membership
