Current Challenges

This chapter examines the deepening challenges in EU–Turkey relations, focusing on the erosion of democratic governance, judicial independence, and the rule of law in Turkey. Despite continued coopera-tion on migration and regional stability, systemic human rights violations and authoritarian drift dominate the relationship. The chapter details political interference in the judiciary, lack of transparency in judicial appointments, and non-compliance with ECtHR rulings. It also highlights repression of legal professionals and structural corruption enabled by weak oversight. Framed within the EU’s human rights architecture, the chapter argues that the widening normative gap undermines both the EU’s credibility and the effectiveness of conditionality, raising pressing questions about the future of rights-based engagement and normative influence in EU–Turkey relations.