The 15th installment of the Foreign Policy Talks, a series of closed roundtable meetings organized by IstanPol to bring together experts, researchers, academics, and journalists to discuss current foreign policy issues, was held online on March 3, 2025. Organized in partnership with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Istanbul Office, this session focused on the future of Türkiye-EU relations in the aftermath of the pivotal 2025 German elections.

The German federal elections, held against the backdrop of political uncertainty and growing Euroskepticism, are expected to have far-reaching implications for Türkiye’s relations with Germany and the European Union. For years, challenges such as the stalled accession process, migration policy, rule of law concerns, and energy security have shaped the complex Türkiye-EU dynamic. This session will examine how recent shifts in German leadership and broader European politics might impact Türkiye’s EU prospects and bilateral relations with Germany. How will the new government engage with Ankara? What’s next for economic and defense cooperation? And where will Berlin stand within the EU on Türkiye?

Under the moderation of Ayşe Yürekli, Non-Resident Fellow at IstanPol, the session will explore these questions with the participation of distinguished speakers:

• Sinem Adar, Associate Researcher, CATS, SWP
• Konstantin Bärwaldt, Head of Department Global and European Politics (GEP), FES
• Heinrich Kreft, Ambassador (R), Mercator-IPC Senior Fellow
• Julia Hahn, Deutsche Welle, Turkey Correspondent