Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Syria: Local sources report that General Security forces targeted the camp of French fighters from the 'al-Ghuraba division' in the Idlib countryside with mortar and tank shells.
Syria: Local sources report a general military mobilization of foreign fighters in Idlib following armed clashes in the “French Camp” in the Idlib countryside.
Syria: Local sources report that International Coalition forces carried out an airdrop operation on a house in the village of al-Kassar, eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor.
Local sources: 3 killed, 7 injured in attack on transport bus in Idlib countryside, Syria
The 'French faction' in Idlib announces that Syrian security forces are preparing to attack its camp amid accusations that it is collaborating with ISIS.
Palestinian media: Israeli occupation forces storm the Old City in the center of Nablus, occupied West Bank
Local sources to Al Mayadeen: Sudanese army forces drones strike town of Kabkabiya, North Darfur.
Syrian Observatory: The plane is loaded with air defense systems and heavy weapons as part of US troop reinforcements to its bases in northeastern Syria
Syrian Observatory: US cargo plane lands with two military helicopters at Kharab al-Jir base in the countryside of Rmeilan, north of Hasakah
Miguel Díaz-Canel to Gustavo Petro: US seeks to reimpose the Monroe Doctrine in its relations with sovereign states in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Why Turkey's EU membership is doomed: Bloomberg

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Bloomberg
  • 11 Jul 2023 17:37
4 Min Read

Bobby Ghosh of Bloomberg details how Erdogan's behavior toward Europe and his inability to roll back on harsh policies may be the reason why he would stay out of the European Union.

  • x
  • Bloomberg: Why Turkey's EU membership is doomed
    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaking to journalists in Istanbul Turkey on July 8, 2023 (AP)

According to Bobby Ghosh of Bloomberg, Erdogan's attempt to blackmail Europe only gives the continent more reason to keep Turkey out of the European Union.

Yesterday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sweden's accession to NATO is contingent on Turkey's accession to the European Union.

"We want all the promises made to us to be implemented... Turkey has been made to wait for 50 years at the door of the EU. I say to these countries that keep us waiting, I will say this in Vilnius: first, open the doors for Turkey to the EU, then we will open the way for Sweden [to NATO], as they did earlier with respect to Finland," Erdogan said to a reporter before heading to Vilnius for the NATO summit.

According to Ghosh, Erdogan's request was the most blatant form of blackmail – it warranted no thought, let alone assent.

Read more: US pushes back as Erdogan links Sweden’s NATO entry to Turkey’s EU bid

He explains that the US and its European allies should see Erdogan's EU proposal as more indication that Turkey's President is not a dependable friend inside international organizations.

The European Commission has flatly rejected Erdogan's request, reminding of the fact that NATO membership and EU membership are two distinct procedures.

Related News

Tufan Erhurman elected TRNC leader in decisive opposition victory

Hamas offers gratitude to mediators, allies for Gaza ceasefire support

Ghosh asserts that Erdogan's blackmail will only serve one purpose for the EU - slowing down the membership process even further for Turkey.

After having observed Erdogan's behavior in one elite club, Europeans are unlikely to welcome him into another. The Turkish President has long had resentment toward the Europeans for blacklisting him.

Turkey petitioned for membership long before he came to office and was approved in 1999. However, the ascent of his Islamist party alarmed members who were already wary of admitting a Muslim-majority country into the fold. Gosh believes that Turkey has a strong feeling, fueled by Erdogan and his AK Party, that EU membership is now out of the question – regardless of who is president.

Ghosh notes that Erdogan did make "some good-faith efforts" to ease European fears during his first term, enacting certain political and economic reforms while limiting the role of the Turkish military. However, the EU kept extending the discussions, claiming, among other things, human rights breaches. By the conclusion of his first decade in office, Erdogan had lost patience with the process and had become overtly autocratic, bolstering the case of European critics.

Things came to a climax in 2016 with an attempted coup, following which his reign became increasingly harsh.

Read next: Erdogan reviving Ataturk-era Turkey, waging wars and claiming hegemony

The European Parliament called for a stop to the accession discussions that fall. By 2018, the accession procedure had been stalled. Meanwhile, Erdogan's displeasure with the Europeans expressed itself in more bellicose statements. He declared that Europe was "sick" and "collapsing" and that they will "pay for what they have done."

He vowed to reverse several of the measures he had implemented to put Turkey in line with EU standards, including the reinstatement of the death sentence. There have also been other threats, most notably the repeated threat of sending millions of migrants into Europe. Ghosh believes that as of now, Erdogan is the most significant impediment to Turkey's accession to the EU. Although he insists that membership remains a goal, his policies have pushed the country further away than at any time in the previous 50 years.

  • Turkey
  • Nato
  • Sweden
  • European Union

Most Read

Yemeni Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Abd al-Karim al-Ghamari , during a ceremony in an undisclosed locations in Yemen, undate (Yemeni Military Media)

Yemeni Armed Forces mourn martyred Chief of Staff al-Ghamari

  • Politics
  • 16 Oct 2025
How an Israeli-backed firm spied on US churches to push propaganda

How an Israeli-backed firm spied on US churches to push propaganda

  • Politics
  • 15 Oct 2025
From previous scenes of the Qassam Brigades targeting an Israeli D9 bulldozer with a Yassin 105 shell, east of Deir al-Balah. (Military Media of the Qassam Brigades)

US knew fatal Rafah blast cause was not Hamas op., says journalist

  • Politics
  • 20 Oct 2025
Smoke and fire rises after 'Israel' launched airstrikes on the village of Ansar, Lebanon, October 16, 2025 (social media)

'Israel' launches two waves of brutal strikes on east, south Lebanon

  • Politics
  • 16 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
An Israeli settler stands over a woman who was harvesting olives after assaulting her, October 19, 2025 (social media)
Politics

West Bank sees 757 Israeli settler attacks in one year

The OpenAI logo appears on a mobile phone in front of a screen showing part of the company website in this photo taken on Nov. 21, 2023 (AP)
Technology

OpenAI unveils new search browser built around chatGPT

White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, from right, and War Secretary Pete Hegseth listen as President Donald Trump meets in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Monday, October 20, 2025, in Washington (AP)
Politics

‘Your mom’ politics take over Trump administration

Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem during a public address on October 21, 2025 (Screengrab)
Politics

Sheikh Qassem: Lebanon stability depends on ending Israeli aggression

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS