The perception of the European Union among Turkish people was revealed Thursday in a survey by a U.S.-based think tank. "Turkey's public opinion seems to favor the European Union as the closest partner in dealing with international matters," said The German Marshall Fund (GMF).
"The survey demonstrated people believe the EU's effectiveness for solving global problems compared to other countries or group of countries would lead to better results for humanity. However, this opinion is more pronounced in the 18-24 age group compared to the general population."
Russia's war on Ukraine also changed the perception of the Turkish public about Russia, it said.
"Turkish citizens have been less likely to perceive Russia as a partner and more likely to see it as a security threat," after the start of the war, it said.
When asked about Turkey's two most important partner countries, 47.2% of respondents said Azerbaijan, up from 46.1% in 2021.
Germany was second with 15.4% as opposed to 13.5% in 2021. Russia was third with 13.8%, compared to 18.6% in 2021.
"When asked about the biggest threat as a country or group of countries against Turkey's national interests, 58.3% of the respondents as opposed to 60.6% in 2021 mentioned the United States, followed by Russia with 31% as opposed to 19% in 2021, and Israel with 29.4% as opposed to 24% in 2021," it said.
About 63.5% of respondents said the most important role Turkey could play in the world is being an economically developed country, as opposed to 65.9% in 2021, while a total of 37% said being politically strong – that number was 38.8% last year. And 37.8%, compared to 30.6% in 2021, said being influential on military matters could influence its role.
When asked about which country or group of countries Turkey should cooperate most closely with on international issues, 33.1% preferred EU countries, 5.6% said Russia, 6.8% chose China and 4.7% listed the United States.
The survey found, "24.6% of the respondents as opposed to 15.9% in 2021 wanted Turkey to act alone."
"It was observed that acting together with the EU countries on international problems was explicitly preferred more by the respondents in the 18-24 age group. 44.4% of respondents in this age group wanted to cooperate more closely with the EU countries as opposed to 33.1% in the general population," according to GMF.
Nearly half of respondents said they trust the EU, 48.3% expressed trust in the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and 39.4% said they trusted NATO.
Support for Turkey's membership in the EU is higher in the 18-24 age group than in the general population, but the public's confidence in possible EU membership remains low, according to the data, GMF said.
"Support for the political reforms that Turkey needs to make for visa liberalization is high and is steadily increasing," GMF said.
"Although there is a clear tendency towards thinking Turkey and the EU have conflicting foreign policy interests, plurality of the respondents believe Turkey and the EU have common interests in Ukraine," it added.
The survey was conducted between March 2 and 26, 2022, in 27 different Turkish provinces via face-to-face interviews held with 2,180 people.
Turkey has a long history with the European Union and the longest negotiation process. The country signed an association agreement with the EU's predecessor, the European Economic Community (EEC), in 1964, which is regarded as a first step to eventually becoming a candidate. Applying for official candidacy in 1987, Turkey had to wait until 1999 to be granted the status of a candidate country. Turkey then had to wait another six years for negotiations to begin in 2005, a uniquely long process compared to other candidates. Since then, the process seems to have stalled.