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As far as I know, France is a strong opposer of Turkey's full membership in the EU.

What other EU member countries are opposed to Turkey's accession to the EU?

user366312
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2 Answers2

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You can see a 2017 map of who opposed or suppored at that time, below, from this DW article dw-turk-eu-support-map

Also note that relations have deteriorated somewhat since 2017.

Pete W
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  • I don't love the color choice in this chart. It is not easy for me to tell them apart without staring hard. – Ross Presser May 24 '21 at 00:52
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    Wasn't at least Cyprus always strongly against due to the Cyprus dispute where Turkey has always been in the opposite camp? Has that changed? – MPS May 24 '21 at 01:20
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    @Ross Presser - sorry, I didn't make this map, see link. MPS - yes that is strange. The linked article briefly talks about Greece and Cyprus being hopeful, that under EU jurisdiction, territorial disputes with Turkey would be less difficult in some way. – Pete W May 24 '21 at 01:48
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    @MPS To the extent that Turkey really wants to join, accession talks is when EU members have the most leverage. Greece and Cyprus would presumably demand a full resolution of the situation but shutting the door as a matter of principle just makes that leverage disappear (at this point the only real question for both parties is whether to continue negotiations or open new chapters, actual membership is years or decades in the future at best). Interesting map and article in any case (+1) – Relaxed May 24 '21 at 06:26
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    This map is a joke. Especially Cyprus should be deep red (and Greece). – Konstantinos Gaitanas May 24 '21 at 07:37
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    @PeteW if memory serves well, under the European law countries cannot access the Union without having border disputes solved with all of its current members (that's the main problem for Serbia and Fyrom). – MrVocabulary May 24 '21 at 08:19
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    @MrVocabulary Spain didn’t give up its claim on Gibraltar when it joined the EU, though the UK was a member at the time. – Mike Scott May 24 '21 at 08:56
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    @MrVocabulary Just FYI, it's officially "North Macedonia" now, no point using that weird acronym anymore. – TooTea May 24 '21 at 10:56
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    Since then Turkey under Ergodan has been increasingly at odds with European attitudes on human rights and freedoms so I suspect this map is way out of date. A lot of people took not providing a seat for the female head of the EU Commission at a press event as a sign of just how hostile relations are. – StephenG - Help Ukraine May 24 '21 at 11:15
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    As Polish, I really doubt that my compatriots are for Turkish accession, though some politicians may make some odd claims for external consumption. Right now it's not even a subject of debate, if it ever become a hot topic issue, we're not going to like it. Really, whole Eastern Europe which become openly unwelcoming during migrant crisis of 2015 and is unlikely that would suddenly be welcoming some peoples from that region. – Shadow1024 May 25 '21 at 10:48
  • Might as well as add DW is a german newspaper if i am right – Adil Mohammed Jul 31 '21 at 16:54
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Note: while @PeteW covers what countries are opposed, I am covering why.

Here is a good article on the topic. I will be attempting to summarize this article in my answer, as well as including any other relevant information.

Full list of all countries in the European Union and their stance on Turkey joining:

Germany

This site claims Germany is against Turkey's ascension to the EU because Turkey has arrested German citizens. Also, Turkey has called out major parties in Germany, potentially drawing their ire and causing them to oppose Turkey joining the EU. However, this (outdated) site claims the opposite, saying Germany wants Turkey to join the European Union.

Austria

In 2016, Austria called for the European Union to stop talks with Turkey, and still holds this stance today.

Belgium

Belgium's former prime minister opposed Turkey joining the EU. I couldn’t find anything more up to date.

France

The President of France has opposed Turkey joining the European union.

Luxembourg

I couldn’t find anything recent, so I’ll just quote the article I linked at the beginning:

The tiny EU member state of Luxembourg supports maintaining dialogue with Turkey, but has been neither strongly supportive of nor opposed to its inclusion into the bloc. Like many of its neighbors, Luxembourg has voiced concerns about Turkey drifting away from the values and principles that unite EU member states.

Denmark

Denmark’s previous president opposed Turkey joining the European Union. I could not find anything more up to date.

Ireland

This site claims that Ireland supports Turkey joining the EU, but not unconditionally, saying

With some provisos around altering its human rights record, Ireland, or rather the various regimes occupying Iveagh house, has been a continuous supporter of Turkey’s integration within the European Union over the past two decades. Officially an ascension candidate since 2005

Portugal

I could not find anything remotely recent except for the article linked at the top, which says

Portugal generally supports giving other countries a chance to benefit from EU membership as it did.

Spain

This site claims that Spain supports Turkey for a multitude of reasons, which include

  1. No historical baggage
  2. Trade
  3. Similar in the past

note that this isn’t a full list of reasons Spain supports Turkey, and a better explanation can be found in the linked article.

Italy

This (outdated) site claims that Italy wants Turkey to enter the European Union, as does this site. The second site cites trade as the reason Italy wants Turkey to enter the EU.

Malta

In this interview the current president of Malta says some things that show their support of Turkey ascending to the European Union. These include:

I strongly believe that we should do all we can to try and keep Turkey on its European path

And also saying

I strongly believe that we have to be somewhat positive and try to deliver something so that they can say to their own people: 'Look, the European Union is reacting to our demands'.

As far as I can tell, this means the Malta supports Turkey entering the EU.

Finland

[this article] claims that Finland supports Turkey joining the EU, with more detail in the article.

Estonia

This article explains it much better than I could. The most important part of the article is:

The Estonian government continues to voice support for Turkey’s membership but has so far remained restrained and (possibly intentionally) unclear when it comes to other partnership options. The most common approach by the government has been to rely more on the European Commission’s position and on the member states’ consensus on the matter. Generally speaking, Estonia’s position on the issue can be defined as more reactive than proactive. This might also reflect, at least until recent times, a low political salience and perceived distance, along with a limited first-hand expertise of the Turkish context. Should Turkey’s EU membership become a clear mid-term perspective, it can be expected that the opposition party EKRE as well as the nationalist Pro Patria and Res Publica Union (IRL) could rally against this. As outlined above, this would also possibly substantiate into a strong opposition towards Ankara’s membership. In this respect, in different European contexts Turkey has represented a practical shortcut to convey popular concerns about immigration and Islam. Therefore, it can be seen how the partnership alternatives to EU membership could also become a preferred option to the Estonian government.

Latvia

This site says that Latvia supports Turkey joining the European Union.

Lithuania

I couldn’t find anything definite, but based on this site I surmised that the current president of Lithuania has major problems with Turkey, so I would guess that he wouldn’t support Turkey joining the EU. However, this is just a guess, and if anybody has any better sources I will edit those into my answer.

Poland

The president of Poland says that he hopes Turkey will eventually join the European Union, which most likely means that Poland supports Turkey joining the EU.

Czech Republic

This site explains it in depth, most importantly saying:

Even though the Czech diplomacy still supports the continuation of accession negotiations because of the need to keep communication channels open, there is hardly anyone who would believe that this process can really result in EU membership for Turkey.

Slovakia

I couldn’t find anything from the current president of the Slovakia.

Hungary

According to this article Hungary’s foreign minister said

If membership is impossible ... let’s talk then about a comprehensive strategic partnership which will add to Europe economically, in terms of defense and in trade

From what I can tell this means Hungary supports Turkey in joining the EU, but if that is impossible wants other partnerships between the EU and Turkey.

Romania

This article claims Romania backs Turkey in joining the EU, saying

Romania “openly and strongly” supports Turkey's accession process to the EU, Romanian Ambassador to Turkey Gabriel Sopanda said on Wednesday.

Bulgaria

I couldn’t find anything recent for Bulgaria.

Croatia

This site claims Croatia supports Turkey joining the EU, saying

During its tenure, Croatia will put serious effort for Turkey's EU bid," Croatian Ambassador Hrvoje Cvitanovic told reporters

Slovenia

This site claims Slovenia wants Turkey to join the EU, saying

Slovenia's Foreign Minister Anze Logar on May 4 pledged to play a constructive role for Turkey's membership in the European Union.

Greece

I couldn’t find anything for Greece.

Cyprus

I couldn’t find anything here either.

Note: Some of the sources I used might have been false, please point it out to me if I used non-credible sources. Also, if you know a source for one of the countries I couldn’t find anything for, please point it out to me.

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