Can Turkey’s Prickly Relationship with the EU Be Repaired?

Source:Carnegie Europe Date:08Nov2019

Marc Pierini writes:

Given Turkey’s current domestic politics, it is doubtful that its leadership will heed any of the EU’s requests on rule of law, economic governance, or foreign policy. So far, Ankara’s needling of the EU seems to have paid off well domestically.

The real problem lies in the consequences for trade and finance. Turkey cannot do without three European anchors: its markets, capital (both short-term funding and foreign direct investment), and technology. It simply doesn’t have meaningful alternatives. But it is unclear whether Turkey’s leadership realizes that hostility with Europe and undemocratic governance makes it harder to resolve the country’s economic woes.