European Union's Triple Visit to Türkiye (June 2026)

European Union (EU) sent a high-level delegation to Ankara on 30 June 2026 to enhance its political dialogue and strategic cooperation with Türkiye. During the visit, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, European Commission Member for Enlargement Marta Kos and European Commission Member for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner held meetings in Ankara.

The simultaneous visit by the three commissioners has been regarded as one of the rare diplomatic initiatives in EU-Türkiye relations. The visit also drew attention because it took place after the European Parliament adopted a critical report on Türkiye and coincided with the final day of the Republic of Cyprus’s term as President of the Council of the European Union.

The primary objective of the visit was to strengthen the recently revived political dialogue between Türkiye and the European Union, advance cooperation in areas of mutual interest and enhance coordination on regional security issues.

While the EU acknowledges that accession negotiations with Türkiye remain stalled, it emphasizes that cooperation in areas such as security, defense, migration management, energy, trade, transport and regional crises is vital to Europe’s strategic interests. For this reason, Brussels has adopted a “two-track” approach that separates the accession process from practical cooperation.

The EU delegation held talks with senior Turkish government officials, including Hakan Fidan.

The discussions covered the following topics:

• Türkiye-EU political relations
• European security
• NATO-EU cooperation
• The Russia-Ukraine war
• Developments in the Middle East
• Irregular migration
• Counterterrorism
• Economic relations
• Transport corridors
• Increasing trade volume
• Updating the Customs Union
• Issues in the Schengen visa process
• Energy security

It was also expected that European Commission Member Marta Kos would hold separate meetings with Mehmet Şimşek, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu and Ömer Bolat on economic and sectoral cooperation.

It was expected that the Turkish side would reiterate that full EU membership remains one of Türkiye’s core strategic objectives.

Ankara was also expected to convey its expectations regarding:

• Reviving accession negotiations
• Updating the Customs Union
• Facilitating access to Schengen visas for Turkish citizens
• Regular operation of high-level political dialogue mechanisms
• Closer cooperation in defense and security

to the EU delegation.

Although the European Commission continues to recognize Türkiye’s candidate country status, it maintains that accession negotiations have been effectively suspended since 2018.

Brussels continues to voice criticism regarding the rule of law, fundamental rights and democratic standards, while simultaneously supporting the development of relations with Türkiye in areas of strategic importance.

In this context, the EU holds that political disagreements over accession should not halt joint efforts in security, migration, economy, energy and transport. This approach, applied in recent years, is described as a policy of advancing relations with Türkiye on the basis of shared interests.

The EU states that technical dialogue on visa liberalization with Türkiye continues, but that all necessary criteria have not yet been met.

At the same time, Brussels is working on various facilitative measures to reduce the congestion and appointment bottlenecks in Schengen visa applications. EU officials have shared concerns with Ankara regarding the functioning of certain visa application centers in Türkiye, and it has been noted that Türkiye has implemented several reforms in this area.

The visit on 30 June 2026 has been regarded as one of the most comprehensive high-level contacts between Türkiye and the European Union in recent years. The simultaneous visit by three EU commissioners responsible for distinct policy areas has been interpreted as a clear sign of both sides’ willingness to deepen cooperation on security, migration, trade and regional crises.

Despite the lack of tangible progress in accession negotiations, the visit stands out as an important diplomatic initiative aimed at strengthening strategic dialogue mechanisms between Türkiye and the European Union and sustaining cooperation in areas of shared interest.