European Union Reevaluates the Rules of the Game. How Will This Affect Relations With Türkiye?

The European Union, seeking to strengthen its economic and military potential, is actively changing the rules of the economic and political game. These transformations promise to reshape the nature of relations with Türkiye for a long time to come.

The Essence of EU Modernization

Under these conditions, EU leadership plans to carry out a comprehensive set of reforms aimed at strengthening the economic and strategic potential. As Turkish expert Zeynep Gurcanli notes, these reforms cover everything from industrial policy to defense, from budgetary priorities to decision-making mechanisms. Particular attention is being paid to modernizing the SAFE defense mechanism and making significant investments in technology. The goal is to boost the EU’s competitiveness and strengthen its security.

The Ukrainian and Middle Eastern crises have revealed deep disagreements within the EU on issues of war and peace, which manifested themselves in the positions of individual countries such as Hungary, Slovakia, and Spain. Seeking to avoid the blocking of strategic decisions, Brussels intends to change the organizational foundation of the Union, moving away from principles that could previously hinder progress.

Key Changes in Decision-Making Mechanisms

The main vector of change in the EU is directed at improving decision-making mechanisms. In the context of the Union’s expansion, plans are being made to abandon the rule of unanimity and consensus in the areas of foreign policy, security, and sanctions. A transition to qualified majority voting in these areas is already under discussion. “Transitional periods” for new members and restrictions on autonomous policy for external partners seeking cooperation with the EU single market are also being considered.

In the field of industrial policy and the export of cutting-edge technologies, the European Commission proposes granting preferences exclusively to European producers, using a system of targeted subsidies and........

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