Together Beyond Accession: Turkey as the EU’s Indispensable Partner. College of Europe Policy Brief #15.18, November 2018

> Following turbulent years in European Union-Turkey relations, the June 2018 elections in Turkey and the prospective appointment of a new European Commission following the 2019 European Parliament elections provide a window of opportunity to take stock of the deadlock in Turkey’s EU bid. > Incoming European leaders should engage in a profound rethinking of EU-Turkey relations, beyond the accession perspective. > Concretely, the incoming Commission and especially High Representative should push for a renewal of EU strategic engagement with Turkey to ensure ‘togetherness’ in addressing changing geopolitical, economic and security equilibria. This engagement should rely on a four-pillar, multidimensional approach: > Amid growing economic instability in Turkey, we suggest advancing towards an updated Customs Union, while seizing on Turkey’s potential as a central hub in the Southern Energy Corridor. > This strong economic asset could leverage further EU engagement on human rights, rule of law and democracy and enable the Union to adopt innovative measures in support of Turkish civil society. > International developments have positioned Turkey as a crucial, albeit ambivalent, foreign policy partner, especially in the Middle East. For this reason, the EU should promote active foreign policy coordination and cooperation with Turkey. > Migration has been a rare, yet sensitive area of cooperation. In this domain, emphasis should be placed on enhancing the implementation of the 2016 EU-Turkey Statement