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

Abstract

This article examines the responses of pro-European civil society organizations (CSOs) in T & uuml;rkiye to the evolving dynamics of European integration and EU-T & uuml;rkiye 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 T & uuml;rkiye-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.