A New Era in EU-Türkiye Cooperation, the Syrian Crisis and 18 March 2016 Turkey-EU Statement: The Perceptions of European and Turkish Stakeholders

Institute:

Turkish-German University Migration and Integration Research Center (TAGU)

Project Members:

Project Director: M. Murat Erdoğan, TAGU
Project Coordinator: Nihal Eminoğlu, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University
Senior Expert: K. Onur Unutulmaz, Ankara Social Sciences University
Senior Expert: Laura Batalla Adam, European Parliament Turkey Forum
Senior Expert: Friedrich Püttmann, European Stability Initiative (ESI)

Project Duration: Sep 2020 – Dec 2021

Contact:

M. Murat Erdoğan (Project Director), email: merdogan1103@gmail.com
Nihal Eminoğlu (Project Coordinator), email: nihaleminoglu@gmail.com
 

The central aim of this research was to examine and understand European and Turkish decision-makers’ perceptions of the three dimensions of EU–Turkey cooperation in the Syrian crisis: the EU–Turkey Statement, Turkish politics vis-à-vis Syrian refugees in Turkey, and EU–Turkey cooperation as it related to the future of Syria. In doing so, the two main research questions were as follows:

• How would future cooperation between Turkey and the EU on the Syrian crisis reflect on Turkey’s relations with the institutions?
• How would the Turkey–EU partnership on the Syrian crisis reflect on Syrian refugees in the region and the future of Syria?

With a desk review and primary data collection on both, the research included a detailed review of key documents—including official documents, laws and legal texts—as well as reports and academic papers that were essential to understanding the context of EU–Turkey cooperation in the Syrian crisis.

The desk review was followed by the data collection phase, including semi-structured, in-depth interviews with key informants. The main target group was ‘decision-makers’, namely politicians, bureaucrats and EU officials who played or had played a shaping role within the context of EU–Turkey cooperation. Selected key informants provided information about the impact of the Turkey–EU Deal on Syrian refugees, both in Europe and Turkey, about the interpretation of Turkey’s refugee policies on the ground, and the EU’s and Turkey’s role in shaping Syria’s future. The interviews were conducted in four different locations: Brussels, Germany, France and Turkey.

In the final phase of the research, a final report and a policy paper were prepared and published. The key findings were presented in a final workshop or conference.

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