Commission report on Türkiye: Ankara responds on Greece and Cyprus
Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry rejects the criticism and disputes the findings on Greece, Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean, while again seeking Customs Union modernisation.
Updated 04.11.2026 · 22:10, Athens time — What changed
In statement 212 of 4 November 2026, Türkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to the European Commission’s report. It rejects the criticism concerning political criteria, the judiciary and fundamental rights, describing the EU approach as prejudiced.
Ankara argues that the report endorses the positions of Greece and the Greek Cypriot side, and disputes its assessments of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Türkiye–Libya memorandum. These are the Turkish Foreign Ministry’s positions in response to the Commission’s findings.
The ministry also welcomes the economic findings and references to defence, security and connectivity, reiterating its request to modernise the Customs Union. The response does not establish a new agreement or a change in the status of accession negotiations.
Previous updates — history
The European Commission’s report on Türkiye, published on 4 November 2026, includes findings concerning relations with Greece and Cyprus. The 120-page document, SWD(2026) 696 final, accompanies the enlargement package and states a reporting period of 1 September 2025 to 1 September 2026.
Findings concerning Greece
The Commission reports resumed overflights of Greek islands and a significant increase in violations of Greek airspace and territorial waters. Its good-neighbourly-relations chapter also refers to inhabited islands.
The report says the two Turkish marine parks declared in August extend predominantly beyond Turkish territorial waters. It also records the continuing 1995 threat of war over a possible extension of Greek territorial waters.
The same assessment acknowledges an overall improvement in bilateral relations since 2023 and the absence of unauthorised Turkish drilling in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Cyprus and accession
The Commission notes that Türkiye continues to refuse to recognise the Republic of Cyprus and advocates a two-state settlement, contrary to the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
In its overall package, the Commission assesses that the gap between the stated membership objective and backsliding on fundamental political criteria has widened. The factors behind the standstill in negotiations since 2018 remain unaddressed. The Council is to consider the recommendations.
These findings are attributed to the Commission’s assessment. Publication of the report does not itself introduce new sanctions or mean that every incident it records occurred today.
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