Turkey, the EU and the death penalty: a chequered history

The abolition of the death penalty has been arguably the most symbolic result of Turkey's EU accession process. To see it revoked would be a sad, backwards step for Turkey and for the EU.

By Ahmet Ceran

Published: August 02, 2016, 6:08 pm

“Through the storm we reach the shore” sings Bono in U2's hit song “With or Without You”. That lyric definitely reflects the tone of Turkey-EU relations during the first 5 months of 2016.

Turkey-EU relations have been “re-energized” after the dubious fefugee swap deal and enhanced migration management cooperation arrangements in the first half of 2016. During the same period, visa liberalization dialogue between Turkey and the EU has accelerated, high level dialogues on energy, economy and politics have been launched between the two sides and once again, Turkey started to appear in the family photos of the major EU Summits. In other words, the Turkey-EU ship finally reached the shore after a long, slow sail.

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