Politics · Turkey · 12 hrs ago
Belgian lawmaker says EU is failing Turkey’s people
Belgian lawmaker Kathleen Van Brempt says the EU is failing Turkey’s people by responding too weakly to repression.
She argues that the bloc’s strategic need for Turkey has softened its criticism of the government.
Her comments come amid prosecutions of opposition politicians and journalists, and arrests of people accused of links to the Gülen movement.
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has been jailed pending trial since March 2025 on corruption charges he denies.
In June, the European Parliament said Turkey’s membership talks could not resume under current conditions because democratic shortcomings had not been addressed.
Van Brempt urged EU institutions to defend human rights and the rule of law, and to provide funding for independent journalism.
She says fair elections and a free press are essential for Turkey’s people to build democracy and bring political change.
Belgian lawmaker Kathleen Van Brempt said the European Union is letting down Turkey’s people and opposition by softening its response to repression.
She said the EU’s strategic need for Turkey was weakening its response to democratic decline.
Van Brempt urged EU institutions to defend human rights and the rule of law in dealings with Ankara.
She also called for EU funding to help independent journalism survive.
Her remarks came amid prosecutions of opposition figures and journalists and continuing arrests over alleged links to the Gülen movement.
- Who
- Kathleen Van Brempt, a Belgian member of the European Parliament and vice president of its Socialists and Democrats group.
- What
- She said the EU was letting down Turkey’s people by responding weakly to repression.
- When
- In an interview published Wednesday; the article was published on October 22, 2026.
- Where
- The interview was published by the TR724 news website.
- Why
- Van Brempt said Turkey’s strategic importance was softening the EU’s response to democratic decline.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Corruption investigations implicated Erdoğan’s family and inner circle, after which Erdoğan targeted the Gülen movement.
The Turkish government designated the Gülen movement as a terrorist organization.
After a coup attempt, Erdoğan’s government intensified its crackdown on the movement, which denies involvement.
İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was jailed pending trial on corruption charges he denies.
The European Parliament reaffirmed that EU membership negotiations with Turkey could not resume under existing conditions.
- Speaker
- Kathleen Van Brempt
- Role
- Vice president of the European Parliament’s Socialists and Democrats group
- Interview outlet
- TR724
- İmamoğlu
- Jailed pending trial since March 2025
- EU membership talks
- Could not resume under existing conditions, the European Parliament said in June
What people are saying
We need Turkey geopolitically, so we do not react very strongly
But in doing so, we are actually letting down the Turkish opposition, Turkish mayors and also the Turkish people