In a written answer on 1 July 2026, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos declined to take up MEP Emmanouil Fragkos's proposal to combine the Treaty of Lausanne and the Montreux Convention to push for the return of Imbros and Tenedos to Greece or for an autonomy plan. Instead, Kos framed the issue as a minority-rights matter, pointing to existing Council of Europe resolutions and European Court of Human Rights rulings. The answer offers no concrete EU measures, funding, or treaty reinterpretation, leaving the Greek minority's status to bilateral EU-Türkiye dialogue.
The question, tabled by Fragkos (ECR), invoked the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, which granted the islands to Türkiye in exchange for free passage through the Straits, and the 1936 Montreux Convention. Fragkos argued that Türkiye's ethnic cleansing of the Greek population and recent projects like Kanal Istanbul justify revisiting the territorial compromise. He asked whether the Commission would consider linking the two treaties to demand the islands' return or at least compensation, an autonomy plan, and a funding programme for returnees.
Kos's answer sidesteps the territorial and treaty-based approach entirely. She recalls the Commission's 2025 enlargement report, which notes persistent challenges for the Greek minority in Türkiye, and cites Council of Europe Resolution 1625 (2008) calling for restoration of minority schools, return of expropriated properties, and improved infrastructure. She also notes that the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers has urged Türkiye to implement ECtHR rulings on minority and property rights on the two islands. The Commission, she says, supports these objectives and will continue to urge Türkiye to fulfil its obligations, encourage constructive dialogue with Greece, and monitor the situation in bilateral contacts.
The answer contains no new proposals, numerical targets, deadlines, or funding commitments. It reaffirms existing EU policy: treating the issue as a minority-rights and rule-of-law concern within the enlargement framework, not as a territorial dispute or a matter of treaty revision. The Commission's stance signals that it will not escalate the issue beyond diplomatic pressure, leaving the Greek minority's fate dependent on Türkiye's willingness to implement Council of Europe recommendations and ECtHR rulings.
The Greek minority on Imbros and Tenedos receives no new concrete support, only continued diplomatic monitoring. Greece gains no leverage for territorial or autonomy claims. Türkiye faces no new EU sanctions or conditions beyond existing enlargement criteria. EU-Türkiye relations remain on their current course, with minority rights as one of many unresolved issues in accession negotiations.