IKV held a meeting with the contributions of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) titled “The Future of Europe and Türkiye's Role in a Polarized World" on the Europe Day 9 May 2023. The moderator of the meeting, IKV Deputy Secretary General M. Gökhan Kilit, touched upon the role of IKV as a think tank that has been working on the EU since 1965. Deputy Secretary General Kilit handed the floor over to the Friedrich Naumann Foundation's Permanent Representative in Türkiye, Beate Apelt, for her keynote speech. Representative Apelt mentioned that the Ukraine-Russia war has created a great transformation in Europe and that there is a new need to support peace and stability in the region. She concluded her opening speech by emphasizing the importance of Türkiye-EU relations and that Türkiye is an important country for the region.

IKV Chairperson and the Vice President of TOBB Ayhan Zeytinoğlu, who made the next opening speech following Beate Apelt, stated that the EU has a diversied agenda to follow such as cyber security, chip production and carbon border adjustment etc.  Zeytinoğlu emphasized the need for revitalisation of EU process in Türkiye and highlighted the direct link between foreign direct investments coming from EU countries and the continuation of the Türkiye-EU relations.

Taking the floor for final speech of the opening session, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director for EU Affairs Ambassador Mehmet Kemal Bozay stated that Europe Day is a day of celebration of peace and stability that has been established for decades. Ambassador Bozay continued his speech by emphasizing that the EU is the most successful political initiative of the 20th century. Ambassador Bozay added that he would continue this success if the EU returns to its founding values and underlined that Türkiye also plays a key role for the EU at this point and that Türkiye-EU relations will determine whether the EU will go forward or backwards.

Following the opening speeches, the moderator of the meeting Deputy Secretary General M. Gökhan Kilit introduced the speakers and gave the floor to Prof. Tarık Oğuzlu, the first panellist of the event. Prof. Oğuzlu started his speech by saying that the Russia-Ukraine war is the biggest challenge that EU is facing, and this war is urging the EU to decide to become whether a modern or a postmodern power.  He also mentioned his expectation that the illiberal and populist discourse in EU politics will increase since the factors creating them are permanent.

The second panellist Dr. Bahadır Kaleağası, President of Institut du Bosphore emphasized the importance of technological change and talked about the recent progress of artificial intelligence and the effects of great technological changes in the world from past to present on human life. Talking about how technology will progress further and China's progress in this regard, Prof. Kaleağası emphasized that Türkiye should also take a role in these technological advances.

The third panellist Nilgün Arısan Eralp, Director of EU Studies in TEPAV started her speech by thanking IKV for reminding and keeping Europe Day alive. Nilgün Arısan Eralp stated that the occupation of Ukraine caused the EU to seriously question itself and its enlargement policy. Continuing her words by referring to Türkiye-EU relations, Director Eralp said, "If Türkiye starts to abide universal values again, Türkiye has both the right and the chance to become a member of EU." Director Eralp also stated that EU must reconsider and renew its enlargement policy. While doing this, she underlined that the EU should approach Türkiye fairly.

Prof. Sanem Baykal from TOBB Economy and Technology University Faculty of Law started her speech by stating that the EU has undergone a serious transformation, especially in the last period. Prof. Baykal emphasized that the process of joining the EU is more important than the result itself. Prof. Baykal also stated that the recent discussions on identity politics in the EU are insufficient and many issues such as gender equality should be addressed.

Assoc. Prof. Ebru Turhan from Turkish – German  University Department of Political Science and International Relations, talked about the factors that will remain constant in Türkiye-EU relations, no matter how the elections in Türkiye turn out. Continuing by explaining the factors necessary for the maintenance of the dynamics that include cooperation, Turhan touched upon the concepts of mutual principle, communication, mutual trust, conditionality, identity, and reconciliation policy, which support international cooperation and directly affect Türkiye-EU relations.

The last panellist IKV Secretary General Assoc. Prof. Çiğdem Nas started her speech by thanking all the speakers and participants. Stating that Türkiye-EU relations can not be revived immediately by pressing the button, Assoc. Prof. Nas drew attention to the deterioration in relations in recent years and that Türkiye has fallen from the agenda of the EU. Expressing that Türkiye was a country that created excitement in the EU in the early 2000s, Nas stated that Türkiye’s accession process needs to become credible again. Emphasizing that this requires the revitalization of communication channels and taking concrete steps, Assoc. Prof. Nas stated that even if there is a change in power in Türkiye, the EU issue should not be made a domestic policy material and that continuity, insistence on goals and internalizing the process are necessary. “We must proceed on this path with determination and without discouragement” said Assoc. Prof. Nas added “Türkiye should look for ways to improve its relations with the EU.” She stated that areas such as the customs union, Green Deal and digital transformation are important at this point. Underlining that Türkiye focuses on the problems within itself, but beyond that, there are great changes and that it should not be left out, Assoc. Prof. Nas emphasized that the EU is very important for Türkiye in order not to miss these changes, to take part in the process and to adapt. Finally, mentioning the importance of Türkiye for the EU, Assoc. Prof. Nas concluded her speech by stating that she hopes that the society will create the necessary infrastructure for the EU to be engaged and that the politics will be shaped in this direction.