IKV realised a meeting entitled “EU Enlargement and Reform Agenda: The Outcomes for Turkey and Balkans” in cooperation with Austrian Institute for International Affairs on 21 June 2018, within the scope of IKV’s EU Presidencies Project. During the meeting, of which opening speech was delivered by Turkey's Ambassador to Austria Mehmet Ferden Çarıkcı, panellists were Head Of Department for Southeast Europe and EU Enlargement of  Austrian Federal Ministry for Europe Klaus Wölfer, TEPAV Director of EU Institute Nilgün Arısan Eralp, Ankara University ATAUM Director Prof. Sanem Baykal, Senior Fellow at the Center for European Studies Prof. Atila Eralp and IKV Secretary General Assoc. Prof. Çiğdem Nas with the moderation of Austrian Institute for International Affairs Vice President Cengiz Günay.

Following IKV Secretary General Assoc. Prof. Çiğdem Nas’ brief introduction of IKV and the objective of the meeting, participants addressed Turkey-EU relations and the process the EU is in. By pointing out that nowadays the EU is passing through critical trials and facing problems, the panellists listed these problems as the impacts of the irregular migration on numerous EU policy including enlargement, security issues, Brexit which poses a threat in terms of the EU’s unity, the Trump administration which has fallen into dispute in several areas, the differences in policy priorities among the new and old member countries and the EU’s improvement in its mechanism. In response to the panellists’ comments on the problems Turkey has started to face following its accession negotiations, particularly the Greek Administration of Southern Cyprus and France cases, in which the nationalisation of the enlargement process and Turkey becoming a scapegoat in various areas were the reality, on the behalf of the Foreign Affairs of Austria, Klaus Wölfer stated that Turkey has been backsliding in various areas and therefore his country believes that establishing a new kind of relationship with Turkey would be more accurate and realistic.

During the meeting, it was also expressed that Turkey has achieved significant gains during its EU membership process and that the civil society improved greatly. While drawing attention to the fact that the EU’s approach to Turkey has been functional recently, it was emphasised that bilateral relations have been quite durable in the long term. Panellists touched upon the importance of the modernisation of the Customs Union for the sustainability of a relationship based on rules in the short term and drew attention to the fact that Turkey needs to protect its aim for the EU membership. During the panel in which it was stated that the EU continues to move forward without observing the significant changes take place in the global system, it was emphasised that the enlargement strategy for Turkey and Western Balkans is a highly important tool for the EU to sustain its activity and its meaning.