What is the fundamental problem in Turkey–EU relations?

In recent months, Turkey and the European Union (EU) have been sending warm messages to each other. However, this is misleading. Because the EU is determined not to grant membership regardless of what Turkey does, and Turkey is well aware that it will not become an EU member. 

There is more. In discussions about the EU in Turkey, the issue least emphasized is how much and to what extent sovereignty would be transferred upon becoming an EU member. After all, a member state would transfer many of its important powers regarding sovereignty to a supranational structure of which it is also a part. For example, customs, national currency, or the authority to print money...

The boundaries of the division of power between a member state and the EU are always controversial. A common currency has been adopted, but little progress has been made on issues such as a common constitution, a common defense and security policy, or a common foreign policy. The latest and most concrete proof that no progress has been made is the cracks seen within the EU during the Ukraine–Russia war.   

The EU can debate whether the nation-state will evolve into another form. Will the EU transform into a unified, tight federation or a loose confederation? This can also be debated. If this happens, will member countries accept becoming provinces tied to a confederal center? If not, will a kind of union of national states be adopted in a flexible structure where the nation-state model is preserved? Will the difference between a federation and a confederation also be reflected in names like the United States of Europe versus the United European States? All of these can be debated. 

The EU did not insist on a common constitution, following the poor results it received. It did the right thing in its own view. Because it encountered strong resistance. There is also no sign that this situation will change in the foreseeable future. As it sounds very pleasant to some, the transition from a Europe of countries to a Europe of citizens is not that easy. The integration process is not progressing that easily either. It develops through constant negotiations, sometimes moving fast, sometimes slow. 

Those who tie Turkey to the EU gate, those who say "it would be a disaster if we cannot enter the EU," are people with poor knowledge of history, geography, and economics. Because a state's foreign policy cannot be thought of separately from that state's geography. Turkey is a country capable of pursuing a multi-dimensional, multi-faceted, and multi-layered foreign policy in terms of its history, geography, and trade relations. To be influential in Europe, it does not need to turn its back on Asia; on the contrary, it needs to lean on it. Only then can it have a stronger hand against the West. Because Turkey is both Eastern and Western, both Asian and European. Its cultural geography is very broad. 

Equating modernity with being European is also wrong. If one needs to own land on the European continent to be European, Turkey is already European. If one needs to turn their direction toward Europe, Turkey has already turned its direction to the West since the Tanzimat era. Likewise, the Ottoman Empire is defined as a Balkan empire. However, the Ottomans and Turks have always been the "other" of the European in terms of religion. 

The EU has already taken what it wanted from Turkey economically thanks to the Customs Union (signed in 1995, entered into force on January 1, 1996), and it continues to do so. It does not look favorably on changing or updating the articles of the Customs Union that are against Turkey. Because through this, it has gained great influence over Turkey's domestic market, customs regime, and foreign trade regime. The EU, which is currently Turkey's largest foreign trade partner, also positions itself against Turkey politically. Its support for terrorist organizations, interference in our internal affairs, recognition of so-called genocide claims, and always siding with Athens in the problems between Turkey and Greece are proof of this. 

In summary, Turkey's relationship with the EU should not be a relationship of necessity or dependency, but one based on mutual interest. Turkey should not be tied to the European gate. It should not be deceived or stalled with the promise of membership.