A panel entitled “2017 German Federal Elections and the Future of EU-Turkey Relations” was held in cooperation with Euro Politika Journal and Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) on 3 March 2018. At the panel in which IKV Secretary General Assoc. Prof. Çiğdem Nas attended as a panelist, the other panelists were Prof. Dr. Serhat Güvenç from Kadir Has University, Prof. Dr. Mert Bilgin from Medipol University, Assoc. Prof. Ebru Canan Sokullu from Bahçeşehir University, Dr. Sezgin Mercan from Başkent University, Dr. Ozan Örmeci from Beykent University and the former Chairman of Liberal Democrat Party Cem Toker.

During the panel, the political landscape emerging after the general elections that was held in Germany in September and the results of coalition negotiations between Prime Minister Merkel’s Party CDU and Social Democrat Party were touched upon. It was especially stated that the increase in the votes of the far right party named Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) poses a threat for the central parties and that this situation could have a negative impact on the future of Turkey-EU relations. During the panel which emphasised that EU has been in a reform process since Brexit referendum, it was asserted that the form which the EU will take and structural change of the EU will also affect Turkey’s relation with the EU following the reforms. During this process, the importance of the related actors and authorities in Turkey following the developments that is happening in the EU was touched upon. The need to solve the bottlenecks and political problems with the EU was addressed.