Source: European Parliament
The High-Level Economic Dialogue (HLED) was suspended in 2019[1] in response to the unauthorised drilling activities by Türkiye in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Since then, there has been continuous de-escalation in the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as improvement in the relations between Türkiye and Greece.
In line with the European Council conclusions of April 2024[2] and the decision by the Council in December 2024[3], the HLED with Türkiye was reinstated accordingly.
During the HLED on 3 April 2025, the Commission made it clear that EU-Türkiye relations should be guided by values, such as the respect of the rule of law, democracy, media freedom and human rights, which also play a key role in sustaining economic confidence and facilitating the business environment[4].
The Commission passed a very firm message that the recent negative developments in the area of the rule of law and the respect of fundamental rights in Türkiye may negatively affect the implementation of the Joint Communication from November 2023[5] and the ‘positive agenda’ with Türkiye. Since then, the Commission has taken further steps to strengthen this message.
- [1] https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/41183/st11260-en19.pdf.
- [2] https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/m5jlwe0p/euco-conclusions-20240417-18-en.pdf.
- [3] https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-16983-2024-INIT/en/pdf.
- [4] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/statement_25_969.
- [5] https://enlargement.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2023-11/Joint%20Communication%20to%20the%20European%20Council%20-%20State%20of%20play%20of%20EU-Turkiye%20political%2C%20economic%20and%20trade%20relations.pdf.