MEP Nikolaos Anadiotis (NI) has asked the EU's foreign policy chief to assess whether member states' arms exports to Türkiye violate the bloc's common rules on military equipment transfers, citing Ankara's continued occupation of northern Cyprus and longstanding threats against Greece. In a parliamentary question submitted on 29 June 2026, Anadiotis pointed to Türkiye's occupation of 37% of Cyprus, its casus belli against Greece since 1995, and its military involvement in Syria, Iraq and Libya as factors that should trigger a review of export authorisations under Common Position 2008/944/CFSP.
The question targets Criterion Four of the Common Position, which requires EU states to deny export licences if there is a clear risk that the military technology would be used to undermine regional peace and stability. Anadiotis specifically asks whether the High Representative considers current or planned exports — including participation in the Eurofighter programme and related European defence partnerships — compatible with that criterion. He also requests that the High Representative ask member states to review existing authorisations and proposes a coordinated EU stance suspending all military material exports to Türkiye until it withdraws its casus belli and fully respects the sovereignty of Greece and Cyprus.
a legal assessment of compatibility, a call for member state review, and a proposal for a collective suspension. It signals a push for stricter enforcement of EU arms export rules against a NATO ally that has been a major defence partner for several member states. The High Representative is expected to reply within approximately six weeks; the answer will indicate whether the Commission and the European External Action Service see grounds for intervention or consider export decisions a national prerogative. The issue pits the principle of regional stability against member states' sovereign right to conduct arms trade and defence cooperation, with potential impact on EU-Türkiye relations and the defence industry in exporting countries.