Resilient Europhilism: Turkish civil society in an era of Euroscepticism and crises

ÖZÇELİK A. O., TABAK H., RENDA K. K.

Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research, 2025 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Publication Date: 2025
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/13511610.2025.2530492
  • Journal Name: Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, ASSIA, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, Business Source Elite, Business Source Premier, Educational research abstracts (ERA), Geobase, Index Islamicus, Political Science Complete, Public Affairs Index, Social services abstracts, Sociological abstracts, Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
  • Keywords: European integration, Europhilism, Euroscepticism, Turkish civil society, Türkiye-EU relations
  • Eskisehir Osmangazi University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

This article examines the responses of pro-European civil society organizations (CSOs) in Türkiye to the evolving dynamics of European integration and EU–Türkiye relations in the post-2010 context, which is characterized by rising Euroscepticism, declining impact of EU conditionality, and regression in Turkish reforms. By employing semi-structured interviews with professional elites from pro-European civil society organizations, this study investigates how these actors demonstrate resilience in maintaining their pro-European stance despite geopolitical fluctuations and the multifaceted crises encountered by the EU. The article outlines the challenges faced by pro-European CSOs within a Eurosceptic environment, explores their perceptions of European crises, and explains their views on Türkiye–EU relations and the future of Europe. In doing so, it contributes to the literature on pro-European movements by analysing Europhile resilience in non-EU contexts and enriches the scholarship on pro-European activism in the European periphery during the EU's ongoing polycrisis.