Rising anti-EU sentiments undermining spirit of unity: Türkiye's AK Party

By Mumin Altas

ANKARA (AA) – Rising anti-EU sentiments and a growing emphasis on national sovereignty are undermining the spirit of European unity, a deputy leader of Türkiye's Justice and Development Party (AK Party) said Tuesday.

"We are noticing that the spirit of unity is being undermined in an environment where anti-EU sentiments have become a core philosophy and there is a growing focus on the importance of national sovereignty," Zafer Sirakaya, party's deputy leader for foreign relations, told Anadolu following the European Parliament elections which ended Sunday.

“We are witnessing a process where each country's internal issues are being highlighted, and domestic politics are also becoming decisive in the EU’s voting process,” he said.

The founding philosophy and spirit of the EU have been somewhat compromised with the latest elections, he warned.

Sirakaya highlighted that the Social Democrats, Greens, and Liberals have faced significant losses in votes in the EP elections, while populist political parties, which can be described as far-right, have significantly attracted more votes.

“It has been a period in which factions questioning the very existence of the EU and trying to politicize anti-immigrant sentiments have significantly increased their votes,” he explained.

A study by the AK Party found that in 2004, only 8% of the European Parliament was composed of separatist parties opposed to the EU, versus over 20% in the latest elections, Sirakaya underlined.

On Türkiye’s EU membership process, he said: “Especially with the Russia-Ukraine war, it has once again become clear how crucial Türkiye is from a security perspective.”

Ongoing conflicts have shown that Türkiye is indispensable in terms of energy corridors and that the country's presence in the region is extremely valuable for migration policies, he said.

“If Europe wants to act as a political giant, we believe this will not be possible without Türkiye,” he said, adding that “a win-win formula is extremely valuable.”

Preliminary results from the EP elections showed a shift to the right among 720 lawmakers elected in the 27 EU countries.

According to preliminary results, the European People's Party, representing Germany's Christian Democrats, won 184 seats.

So far, the Green Party/European Free Alliance has secured 52 seats, the Socialists and Democrats 139, the European Renewal Party 80, and the Left 36. In addition, 53 deputies were not affiliated with any European Parliament groups.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz