The Foreign Economic Relations Board of Türkiye (DEİK) has stepped up efforts to revive Türkiye’s European Union membership agenda, calling on both European capitals and Ankara to rebuild momentum behind full accession.
DEİK has launched a public diplomacy campaign after support for EU membership in Türkiye fell to around 50 percent, according to the group. It aims to help raise the level of support to 75-80 percent by the end of the year.
The campaign began with a full-page advertisement in the Financial Times in January, followed by open letters and newspaper ads in several European countries, including Germany, Poland and Belgium.
Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and France are expected to follow.
DEİK President Nail Olpak said EU membership had fallen off Türkiye’s agenda and argued that a “paradigm shift” was needed in relations with the bloc.
“This is not only a step in favor of our country but also one that will help solve Europe’s current problems,” Olpak said. “Keeping the full membership perspective alive is an indispensable strategic necessity for Europe’s geopolitical future.”
Mehmet Ali Yalçındağ, DEİK Türkiye-Europe Business Councils coordinator chair, said Türkiye and Europe should not return to old formulas but build a new framework.
Yalçındağ said Türkiye should aim for full EU membership in 2027, adding that issues such as visas and the modernization of the Customs Union should be handled under that broader objective.
He said Türkiye-EU ties were not limited to trade, pointing to deep production integration between the two sides. Around 59 percent of Türkiye’s foreign direct investment stock, or $122.3 billion, came from EU countries in 2024, he said.
Yalçındağ also said Turkish industry had become a critical production base for European brands, especially in automotive manufacturing.
Olpak said Ankara supported DEİK’s work and that the goal was now full membership.
He also said commercial ties between Türkiye and Armenia were developing and that a Türkiye-Armenia Business Council could be established in the coming period.
