On 9 June 2026, a group of MEPs from the Patriots for Europe (PfE) and European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) groups tabled two amendments to the European Parliament's draft report on the 2025 Commission report on Türkiye, seeking to harden the language on Cyprus and Hamas. The amendments, co-sponsored by figures including Jordan Bardella and Hermann Tertsch, introduce explicit condemnation of Türkiye's military presence in Cyprus and express deep regret over Ankara's political engagement with Hamas.
Amendment 39 proposes a new paragraph 37a that directly condemns the "continued occupation" of parts of the Republic of Cyprus, reaffirming support for the sovereignty of an EU member state and deploring Türkiye's refusal to recognise it. This marks a shift from general concern to explicit use of the term "occupation" in a formal parliamentary report. Amendment 40, a new paragraph 46a, recalls the EU's designation of Hamas as a terrorist organisation and expresses "deep regret" over the Turkish government's continued political engagement with Hamas representatives, criticising Ankara for not adopting the same designation.
The two right-wing groups, PfE and ECR, are acting as a unified bloc on these foreign policy issues, likely driven by shared positions on sovereignty and counter-terrorism. The absence of amendments from other major groups (EPP, S&D, Renew, Greens/EFA, Left) suggests the original draft report's language was considered sufficient by those groups, or that they do not wish to escalate to the level of condemnation proposed here.
The amendments, if adopted, would increase diplomatic pressure on Türkiye, potentially straining EU-Türkiye relations further. For the Republic of Cyprus, the explicit condemnation of occupation would be a major diplomatic win, reinforcing its sovereignty claims. For Türkiye, the language could be seen as hostile and may reduce willingness to cooperate on migration or trade. For EU foreign policy coherence, the amendments align the Parliament with the EU's official terrorist list, but risk alienating a key NATO partner.
The amendments will be debated and voted on in the European Parliament plenary, likely as part of the final report on Türkiye. The Council and Commission will then consider the Parliament's position in their own assessments of EU-Türkiye relations.