MEPs conduct human rights mission in Türkiye

A delegation from the Subcommittee on Human Rights will travel to Ankara and Istanbul from 7 to 9 January, to discuss the human rights situation and the state of the rule of law.

MEPs will travel to Ankara and Istanbul from 7 to 9 January and meet with representatives of the Turkish authorities, MPs from Türkiye’s Grand National Assembly - including from the Human Rights inquiry committee, as well as international and civil society organisations active in the field of human rights and the rule of law, human rights defenders and independent media. The delegation will assess the human rights and the rule of law situation in the country, and visit projects funded by the EU in this area.

Background

In 2025, Parliament adopted two resolutions on Türkiye. A resolution voted on 13 February 2025 dealt with a critical challenge to democratic principles in the country: the dismissal of elected mayors and their replacement with government-appointed trustees. This practice has particularly affected Kurdish regions and opposition parties, disenfranchised millions of voters, and violated the fundamental tenets of local democracy, according to MEPs.

In May 2025, Parliament adopted a resolution on the Commission's 2023 and 2024 progress report on Türkiye, prepared by Parliament’s standing rapporteur Nacho Sanchez Amor (S&D, Spain). MEPs stressed that the EU’s so-called “Copenhagen criteria”, such as the rule of law and respect for human rights, are non-negotiable, and that Türkiye’s EU accession process cannot be resumed in the current circumstances, despite the democratic and pro-European aspirations of a large part of Turkish society

The resolution expressed concern over democratic backsliding, including the misuse of counter-terrorism laws, restrictions on media and civil society, and political interference in the judiciary.

The composition of the delegation

The delegation will comprise:

Mounir Satouri (Greens/EFA, FR), Chair of the subcommittee on Human Rights, Chair of the delegation ;

Emmanouil Kefalogiannis (EPP, Greece), Chair of the EP delegation to the EU-Türkiye Joint Parliamentary Committee;

Isabel Wiseler-Lima (EPP, Luxembourg);

Reinhold Lopatka (EPP, Austria);

Nacho Sánchez Amor (S&D, Spain), Standing rapporteur for Türkiye in the European Parliament ;

Arkadiusz Mularczyk (ECR, Poland).